Loons Launch Three Longballs, Down Kernels 8-3

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (29-25) for the third straight night had multiple homers and over 10 strikeouts from their pitchers, a winning recipe in an 8-3 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels (31-22) on a 63-degree cloudy Thursday night at Dow Diamond.

The game was delayed one hour and three minutes due to rain that poured on the playing surface a half-hour before the first pitch.

The Loons grabbed half of their runs in the first frame. Four straight reached on two outs. Kyle Nevin doubled up the right field line, and Chris Newell walked on seven pitches to put two on. Sam Mongelli then jumped on a 0-1 pitch floating it up the left field line, where it landed on the chalk line and rolled to the wall.

With a 2-0 lead, Jake Gelof next-up clobbered a ball 443 feet out of the ballpark in left field. His second homer of the series made it 4-0.

Jerming Rosario, from there, kept the Loons ahead. After a scoreless first, Cedar Rapids had four straight reach in the second, adding three runs. Back-to-back singles set up Jose Salas, who roped a two-run single into right field. Salas stole second and was escorted home by a Nate Baez double. The Kernels' next hit would not come until the top of the ninth.

The 22-year-old right-hander retired the next eight in a row. He was efficient, with 16 being his highest number of pitches in an inning, in the second. Rosario punched out two straight in the fourth and worked around two walks inducing two flyouts in the fifth. The sixth was 1-2-3, powering a fastball by Misael Urbina for his fifth strikeout.

Great Lakes’ insurance came in a big way. Nick Biddison was responsible for three runs. A two-out bloop single netted a run in the sixth. In the eighth, he took A.J. Labas deep. Homering for the second straight night, Biddison rocked it 399 feet to left field. Kyle Nevin in the seventh took Labas yard as well, welcoming him to the game. He plated Jake Vogel, who walked.

Five of the final nine outs for Cedar Rapids hitters were via strikeouts. Kelvin Ramirez struck out four over two innings, and Michael Martinez notched a punchout In the ninth.

Rounding Things Out

The Loons in this series have hit eight home runs. It is tied for the most in a series this season, accomplished from April 30th to May 5th against Wisconsin.

Up Next

Great Lakes and Cedar Rapids are back in action Friday, May 7th. The first pitch is at 7:05 pm. It is Pride Night presented by Dow GLAD and Great Lakes Bay Pride, a Feast Friday presented by Isabella Bank, and the Loons will wear their Dodgers-inspired uniforms, as part of a Dodgers Bluesday.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team’s inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team’s home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.