Pitching and the Long Ball Lead Beloit over Cedar Rapids 7-2

Cedar Rapids, IA - Sky Carp starter Jacob Miller allowed just one unearned run across seven innings behind a Beloit offense that powered a pair of home runs en route to a series-opening win in Cedar Rapids 7-2.

After a loss in the series finale Sunday against Peoria, the Kernels hopped on the board first on Tuesday. To begin the Kernels half of the first, Payton Eeles reached on an error. After he moved to second on a ground out, he scored on a Rubel Cespedes RBI single to put Cedar Rapids on top 1-0.

But that was the only run on the night allowed by Beloit starter Jacob Miller. The right-hander went seven strong innings, allowing just one unearned run on four hits while picking up four strikeouts in his third win of the year.

With Miller posting zeros on the mound, the Beloit offense didn’t waste time taking the lead. In the top of the second, a pair of singles put two on for Mark Coley who lifted the Carp ahead with a two-run triple.

In the third, a double and a single to begin the inning put runners on the corners for the Sky Carp, and a Jorge Caballero sac fly upped the Beloit lead to 3-1.

Leading by two, the Sky Carp blew it open in the top of the fourth inning. To begin the frame, Tony Bullard crushed a 475-foot home run to extend the lead to 4-1. Later in the inning, a pair of singles put two more runners on for Carlos Santiago, who lifted a three-run shot to grow the Sky Carp lead to 7-1.

The score stayed that way all the way until the bottom of the eighth inning. With two outs in the frame, Eeles worked a walk. After a wild pitch moved him to second, he came home to score on a Ricardo Olivar RBI single to drop the Beloit lead to 7-2. But it was too little too late in the Cedar Rapids 7-2 loss.

The Kernels' bullpen was a bright spot in the defeat. Kyle Bischoff, Rafael Marcano and Juan Mercedes combined to post 5.1 scoreless innings in relief in the loss.

The loss drops the Kernels to 39-29 on the season and 2-2 in the second half. Game two of the series between the Kernels and the Sky Carp is set for Wednesday at 12:05, with Mike Paredes on the mound for Cedar Rapids opposite Emmett Olsen.