Kernels Sweep River Bandits in Saturday Night Doubleheader, 9-6 and 4-1

Cedar Rapids, IA - The Kernels win a shootout, 9-6, in game one and outlast the River Bandits in a pitcher’s duel, 4-1, in game two to sweep the doubleheader Saturday night.

In game one, the Kernels' offense got right to work in the bottom of the first. Caden Kendle led off with a single, then Kyle Debarge walked. With one out, Brandon Winokur doubled into left field to plate both runs and put Cedar Rapids on top 2-0. One batter later, Danny De Andrade launched a double to center to bring in Winokur to make it 3-0. Now with runners on the corners, Maddux Houghton cued an infield single to score De Andrade to jump the Kernels ahead 4-0.

In the top of the second, Quad Cities got a run back. Chris Brito doubled and was brought home on a Hunter Ensley RBI single to make it 4-1.

In the top of the third, the River Bandits took the lead. A sacrifice fly to left made it 4-2. Then, Brito knocked an RBI single into left to make it 4-3. One batter later, Austin Charles doubled to bring in Brito to make it a 4-4 tally. Charles later scored on a wild pitch to put Quad Cities on top 5-4.

In the bottom of the third, the Kernels tied the game. After a Winokur single, De Andrade doubled him home to even the score, 5-5.

In the home half of the fourth, Cedar Rapids regained the lead. With two outs, Eduardo Tait crushed a two-run home run that made it 7-5, and one pitch later, Winokur launched a solo home run to make it 8-5.

In the last of the fifth, Misael Urbina doubled and scored on Houghton’s RBI single to make it 9-5.

In the top of the sixth, the Bandits scored on an RBI groundout to make it 9-6, but that would be all the offense as Brennen Oxford earned the save and the Kernels took game one, 9-6.

In game two, there was no score until the top of the fourth. Quad Cities grabbed the lead on a throwing error that allowed a run to score to make it 1-0.

That was all the offense against Kernels starter Garrett Horn. The left-hander tossed four innings and allowed just two hits and struck out five in his first high-A home start.

In the bottom of the fifth, Cedar Rapids took the lead. A bases-loaded Jaime Ferrer RBI groundout made it 1-1 before Maddux Houghton’s RBI single and a throwing error on the play made it 3-1 Kernels.

In the sixth, a Kyle Hess RBI single gave Ruddy Gomez insurance before he tossed a 1-2-3 seventh to earn the save and complete the doubleheader sweep with a 4-1 victory.

With the two wins, Cedar Rapids goes to 23-24 in the second half and 4-2 in the series against Quad Cities. Game seven of the series is slated for Sunday afternoon at 1:05 with Chase Chaney to start opposite Felix Arronde.