Two days ago, Zach Borenstein stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with a chance to tie the game. He hit a game-ending popup. On Friday, he got another chance -- and produced a much different result.

The Angels prospect stroked a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels a wild 12-11 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Facing Tommy Toledo, the pitcher who retired him to end Wednesday's game, Borenstein took the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall for the walk-off win.

"I wasn't thinking too big, just a base hit to tie the game," Borenstein said. "I was just looking for a fastball in the middle of the plate. He threw a first-pitch slider and didn't take much off it. It hung up in the zone and I got a good pitch to hit."

The game-winning shot capped a career night for Borenstein, who went 4-for-5 with two homers, two doubles, six RBIs and four runs scored. The hits, homers, RBIs and runs scored all represent career highs.

"I've just been working on some stuff with our hitting coach [Mike Eylward]," Borenstein said. "I'm trying to keep my hands back a little more and start earlier. ... It gives me a chance to hit the off-speed [stuff], not just swing right through it or ground out to the right side of the field. If my hands are back, I still have a chance to put the ball in play."

Borenstein flied out in his first at-bat but couldn't be stopped after that. He smacked a leadoff double to right in the fifth and an RBI double to left in the sixth, then went deep for a three-run blast in the seventh.

The 21-year-old outfielder said the only comparable game he could recall was a three-homer effort at Eastern Illinois University, but even that failed to measure up because it came in a one-sided game.

"That was something like a 21-1 blowout win. It wasn't even cool," he said. "This meant a lot more. ... It just felt really good to pick up the guys."

Borenstein is batting .304 with six homers, 18 RBIs and a .920 OPS in 25 games for the Kernels after starting the year in extended spring training. Although that experience had its drawbacks, he believes it helped him advance his game.

"Extended spring training is pretty brutal," said Borenstein, a 2011 23rd-round Draft pick. "If you ask anyone that, they'll say the same thing. It's not really that fun. You're not playing in front of anyone, you're playing in Arizona, where it's about 105 degrees every day, you get up at 6 in the morning.

"At the same time, I think I had the right attitude; I focused on getting better. There's a reason I didn't break camp with Cedar Rapids. I made the most of it."

Still, Borenstein insisted he isn't concerned about his individual numbers. Instead, he wants to help the Kernels win their first Midwest League title since 1994.

"I just want to make the playoffs," he said. "I think everybody just wants to get to the postseason and be part of that atmosphere and hopefully get a ring. I don't think Cedar Rapids has won since 1994. That's the common goal for everyone. I don't think anyone's worried about individual stats."