CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - The Cedar Kernels broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning and held on to beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-2 on Friday night at Perfect Game Field.KJ Harrison gave the Timber Rattlers (31-40 overall, 0-2 second half) a 1-0
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - The Cedar Kernels broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning and held on to beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-2 on Friday night at Perfect Game Field.
KJ Harrison gave the Timber Rattlers (31-40 overall, 0-2 second half) a 1-0 lead with a two-out solo home run in the top of the second inning. The home run was the fifth of the season for Harrison. This was also the fourth straight game in which the Rattlers scored first.
The Kernels (34-37, 2-0) used their speed to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jean Carlos Arias started the inning with a soft fly to shallow right-center and turned a routine single into a hustle double. Rattlers starting pitcher Dylan File walked the next batter and the Kernels had runners on first and second with no outs. File retired the next batter on a foul pop, but Jordan Gore tied the game with a single to center to put runners on the corners.
Akil Baddoo was next and he sent a grounder to first. The throw to second was in time for the force on Gore, but Baddoo beat the return throw to first to deny Wisconsin an inning-ending double play and pick up an RBI as the runner from third scored for a 2-1 Kernels lead.
Wisconsin responded in the top of the sixth against reliever Melvi Acosta. Trever Morrison, Payton Henry, and Tristen Lutz had three consecutive singles with one out to load the bases. Gilbert Lara drove in Morrison with a soft ground out and the game was tied 2-2.
Trey Cabbage tripled with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. David Bañuelos put the Kernels back in front with a single over the drawn-in infield.
In the eighth, Morrison and Henry drew back-to-back, four-pitch walks from Kernels reliever Calvin Foucher. However, Foucher got out of the inning without allowing a run.
Foucher retired the Rattlers in order in the top of the ninth inning to close out the game and send Wisconsin to its eighth straight loss.
Game three of the series is Saturday night. Nelson Hernández (7-4, 4.76) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Cedar Rapids has named Jordan Balazovic (1-1, 2.30) as their starter. Game time is 6:35pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The broadcast is also available on the Tune In and IHeart Radio apps. Subscribers to MiLB.tv can watch the game over the internet.
