Kernels Beat Wisconsin 6-2 in Conclusion of Tuesday’s game

Cedar Rapids 5-0 lead too big for Timber Rattlers this time

Tyler Black makes a throw to first on Wednesday afternoon during the conclusion of Tuesday's suspended game against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers)

By Chris Mehring

June 29, 2022

GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Cedar Rapids Kernels defeated the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 6-2 on Wednesday afternoon in the conclusion of Tuesday’s suspended game at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The loss ended Wisconsin’s five-game winning streak.

Click here for the boxscore of this game

Cedar Rapids (45-25 overall, 2-2 second half) had a 5-0 lead when the game was halted on Tuesday night.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a two-run home run in the top of the first. The Kernels padded their lead with three consecutive RBI doubles with two outs in the top of the third. Kyler Fedko, Yunior Severino, and Pat Winkel contributed with the run-scoring hits for the five-run lead.

The Kernels added to their advantage in the sixth inning. Dylan Neuse walked, stole second, and stole third with one out. Then, Alerick Soularie singled to left to knock in Neuse for the 6-0 lead.

Wisconsin (39-30, 3-1) was held scoreless through two innings by Kernels starting pitcher Brent Headrick on Tuesday night. David Festa picked up right where Headrick left off last night. Festa worked five scoreless innings and pitched around two hits, two walks, and a hit batsman.

The Timber Rattlers got to Festa in the eighth. Tyler Black and Ethan Murray started the inning with singles. Tristan Peters knocked in Black with a single for Wisconsin’s first run. Festa got his seventh strikeout of the game for the second out of the inning and turned the game over to Derek Molina.

Zavier Warren fell behind Molina 0-2 but delivered a single to score Murray to get the Rattlers to within four. That was a close as Wisconsin would get. Molina got the final out of the eighth inning and worked around an error in the bottom of the ninth to close out the game.

Miguel Guerrero and Tyler Gillies combined to work the final six innings of the game out of the Wisconsin bullpen and only allowed one run. Guerrero allowed a run on two hits with four strikeouts over three innings. Gillies pitched three scoreless, hitless innings with a walk and three strikeouts.