Clinton drops first half finale 5-2

Clinton, IA - With a chance for their first sweep of the season, the Clinton LumberKings (26-43) were unable to match the wild card winning Cedar Rapids Kernels (41-29) in the final game of the first half. Max Murphy hit a two-run home run off of Jeffeson Medina (L, 2-7) in the third inning that made it 3-1, and four Cedar Rapids pitchers combined shut down the Clinton offense.

Down 1-0 after an RBI single by Rafael Valera in the top of the second inning, Clinton answered right back in the bottom of the frame. After a one-out double by Joe DeCarlo, Gianfranco Wawoe plated him with a two-out RBI single. That was all the Clinton offense mustered against Kernels' starter Jared Wilson (ND), who pitched only four innings and turned it over to the Cedar Rapids bullpen, which entered the game with a sub-two ERA as a whole.

Medina, who had his shortest outing of the season in his last start vs. Cedar Rapids, lasted just three innings Sunday afternoon. He allowed four hits, the last of which, the home run by Murphy in the third inning, the ultimate difference in the game. The righty is now 0-2 with a 12.60 ERA in two starts vs. the Kernels.

Randy LeBlanc (W, 5-0) tossed three shutout innings, allowed only two hits, and retired the final eight men that he faced. His club added on two insurance runs vs. Jarrett Brown in the fifth inning. With men on second and third and no outs in the frame, Brown issued his first balk of the season, which plated Alex Real. After the lefty retired the next two men, he walked Pat Kelly. With Valera at the plate, Kelly got himself caught in a run down between first and second base, and Murphy scored from third before Kelly was tagged out. That made it 5-1 Cedar Rapids.

Clinton loaded the bases with no outs vs. Cameron Booser in the eighth inning but managed just one run, while Trevor Hildenberger (SV, 8) struck out the side in order in the ninth to salvage the final game of the series for Cedar Rapids.

The Kernels will represent the Western Division as the wild card team from the first half in the playoffs, while the LumberKings will look to improve on a 26-43 first half, as they open up the second half in Appleton, WI Thursday night vs. the Timber Rattlers. The Midwest League All-Star game will take place at Dozer Park in Peoria on Tuesday.