Kernels Win Twentieth Game of the Season, Beat Chiefs 6-4

Cedar Rapids, IA – After falling behind by three runs in the top of the first inning, Cedar Rapids scored the next six runs of the game to beat Peoria 6-4 Thursday night and win the team’s twentieth game of the season.

Picking up from its victory on Wednesday afternoon, the Peoria offense started right away on Thursday. The first three batters of the game all singled for the Chiefs giving them a 1-0 lead, then with one out, Jeremy Rivas smashed a double in the gap to score both runners and make it 3-0.

Cedar Rapids, however, rallied with three runs of its own in the bottom of the second. Going up against Peoria starter Tink Hence who had not allowed a run all season coming into the game, Kala’i Rosario and Noah Miller both singled to put two runners on with no out. Two batters later, with one out, Jose Salas singled to score Rosario to make it 3-1. The next batter Willie Joe Garry Jr., grounded out to second to score Miller, and then with two outs, a Jeferson Morales single evened the game at 3-3.

In the top of the third, the Kernels gained the lead they would never relinquish. Emmanuel Rodriguez smashed his team-best fourth home run of the season over the right field wall, a solo shot to set the game at 4-3.

In the fourth, Cedar Rapids added another run on a two-out hit. After back-to-back walks put two runs on, Tanner Schobel pushed across the Kernels' fifth run of the game with an RBI single.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Cedar Rapids extended the lead to a game-high three runs in the sixth inning when it scored without a hit. After reaching first on an error and reaching third on two walks, Ben Ross scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-3.

That 6-3 tally was the score when Kernels starter Jaylen Nowlin left the ball game, matching the longest outing by a Cedar Rapids pitcher this year at six innings. After allowing those three runs in the top of the first, the southpaw allowed just one hit in his final five innings, facing the minimum of 15 batters across those frames, pitching four 1-2-3 innings.

With Nowlin out of the game, Peoria grabbed a run back in the top of the seventh inning on a two-out Victor Scott RBI single to make the game 6-4, but the Chiefs did not threaten again as the Kernels held on for the two-run victory.

The win is the fifth in six tries for the Kernels (20-16) over the Chiefs (19-17) and the team’s twentieth victory of the season. Cedar Rapids looks to clinch at least a split of the series tomorrow night at 6:35 when Marco Raya toes the rubber at Veterans Memorial Stadium against Peoria’s Dionys Rodriguez.