Kernels Lead Wire to Wire in 7-3 Win Over Lugnuts

Lansing, MI - After scoring 15 runs on a season-high 20 hits in the win on Tuesday, Cedar Rapids never trailed on Wednesday, leading for all but one pitch in a 7-3 victory over Lansing.

On the first pitch of the game, Jay Harry crushed a solo home run out to right-center field to give the Kernels a 1-0 lead on their eighth leadoff home run of the season. Later in the inning, Ricardo Olivar walked, and Rubel Cespedes replaced him on first on a fielder’s choice. After Kevin Maitan doubled, Cespedes scored on an Agustin Ruiz RBI groundout to make it 2-0.

In the second, Lansing cut the lead to one. Colby Halter singled to begin the frame, and after a steal and a base hit moved him to third, he scored on a double play to make it 2-1.

The Kernels got that run back in the third. Cespedes singled to begin the inning, and after a single and an error moved him to third, he came home to score on a Ruiz sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.

Lansing again countered in the bottom half. Johnny Butler doubled to begin the inning, and two batters later came home to score on a Brayan Buelvas RBI single to lessen the Kernels’ lead to 3-2.

But that was the closest Lansing would get. In the sixth, Ruiz tripled, and two batters later scored on a Nate Baez sac fly. In the seventh, Kyle Hess doubled, and as he tagged to go to third on a fly out by the next batter, the throw went into the Kernels dugout to increase the edge to 5-2.

After Lansing scored to cut it back within two in the eighth, Ruiz put the game away for Cedar Rapids in the ninth. With two on and one out, Ruiz smoked a two-run double for his third and fourth RBIs of the night to lift the Kernels ahead 7-3, the score which would be the final.

Win extends the Kernels road winning streak to a season-long three games and improves Cedar Rapids to 34-24 on the season. Game three of the series in Lansing is set for Thursday at 6:05. Jake Garland will start for the Lugnuts opposite Jacob Wosinski.