River Bandits Rally Past Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - A six-run rally in the top of the sixth inning lifted the Quad Cities River Bandits to a 10-4 win Saturday over the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Pat Porter's three-run home run broke a tie within that sixth inning in front of a Kernels season-high 3,604 fans at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Kernels right-hander Dereck Rodriguez posted five shutout innings to open the contest. He only needed 61 pitches to get through those five frames and also did not allow any runners to reach third base during that stretch.

Cedar Rapids (23-18) grabbed an early 2-0 lead behind Rodriguez. Brian Olson's bloop single in the fourth inning brought in LaMonte Wade for the Kernels' first run. In the fifth, Wade produced an RBI single that scored Sean Miller, who ultimately batted 4-for-4 with a double and one run scored Saturday.

Porter's first blast of the season highlighted Quad Cities' six-run sixth inning. Arturo Michelena came home on a bunt single by Myles Straw, and a dropped fly ball allowed Aaron Mizell to score the tying run. Porter followed by sending a three-run home run off the top of the left-field wall and into the Plumbers & Pipefitters Pavilion to put the River Bandits ahead. Michelena also registered a sacrifice fly to drive in Dexture McCall and give Quad Cities a 6-2 advantage.

The Kernels answered in the bottom of the sixth with a run to close the gap to 6-3. Brad Hartong reached on an error and later scored during a force out off the bat of Alex Perez.

Quad Cities (18-23) reinforced its lead in the final innings of Saturday's win. Michelena delivered an RBI single in the eighth that drove in Keach Ballard. Sacrifice flies by Straw and Kyle Tucker further added to the lead. Cedar Rapids tallied a run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI groundout from Perez, but another RBI single by Michelena in the ninth brought home McCall for a 10-4 River Bandits lead. Michelena batted 4-for-4 while driving in three runs and scoring two runs.

Alex Winkelman grabbed the win and improved to 5-1 after allowing just two runs - one earned - over four innings. Rodriguez fell to 1-5 with the loss, giving up six runs - four earned - in 5.1 innings pitched. The River Bandits earned their first win over the Kernels this season and tied this four-game series, 1-1.

This series continues Sunday at 2:05 p.m. with Kernels right-hander Miles Nordgren (1-1, 3.33 ERA) squaring off against River Bandits right-hander Yoanys Quiala (0-0, 5.63 ERA). Catch all of the action with Morgan Hawk and Chris Kleinhans-Schulz on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and online at www.kmryradio.com, www.kernels.com and MiLB.TV.

Kids Eat Free Sunday, presented by Western Fraternal Life, offers a coupon for all kids aged 12 and under to get a free hot dog, small popcorn and Capri Sun. Fans that ride their bikes to the New Belgium Brewing Bike to the Ballpark are eligible to win prizes from sponsors New Belgium Brewing and Fleck Sales. Run the Bases Sunday, courtesy of Jimmy John's and 104.5 KDAT, invites fans to run the bases, play catch in the outfield and get autographs from the Kernels after the contest. Plus, play Travel Advisors Baseball Bingo during the game for a chance to win a trip to Minneapolis for a Twins game.

Tickets for all Kernels home games and the 2016 Midwest League All-Star Game are available at www.kernels.com, the Kernels Ticket Office and by calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The ticket office is closed on Sundays except on Kernels Sunday home dates when it will open at 11:00 a.m.