Cameron Barstad’s Walk-Off Two-Run Single Lifts Beloit Over Cedar Rapids 2-1
Beloit, WI - Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Cameron Barstad ripped a two-run single into right-center field, scoring both the game-tying and game-winning runs to push Beloit past Cedar Rapids in game two of the season 2-1. In another game dominated by pitching, John Klein made
Beloit, WI - Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Cameron Barstad ripped a two-run single into right-center field, scoring both the game-tying and game-winning runs to push Beloit past Cedar Rapids in game two of the season 2-1.
In another game dominated by pitching, John Klein made his first start of the season for the Kernels. The right-hander went five scoreless innings, allowing just one walk and three hits while picking up six strikeouts.
With Klein posting zeros on the scoreboard, Cedar Rapids grabbed its first lead of the season in the second inning. Jay Harry singled to begin the inning then advanced first to third on a wild pitch. There, with just one out, Agustin Ruiz lifted a fly out to center field that was caught plenty deep to score Harry from third and put the Kernels ahead 1-0.
But that was the lone run Beloit starter Ike Buxton allowed. In Buxton’s 5.1 innings, he allowed just the one unearned run on four hits and two walks while notching eight strikeouts.
Cedar Rapids had a chance to grow the lead in the top of the sixth inning, after a Danny De Andrade walk and a Jose Salas single and stolen base put two in scoring position with just one out. But Anderson Pilar came out of the Sky Carp bullpen to produce a strikeout and a flyout to get Beloit out of the jam.
After Miguelangel Boadas pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the Kernels, John Stankiewicz came on in relief and picked up right where he left off in 2023. After posting a 3.11 ERA in 2023, Stankiewicz threw two 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and the eighth, striking out the side in the eighth to persevere the 1-0 lead.
With the Kernels still ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth, one-out walks of Carlos Santiago and Torin Montgomery put two Beloit runners on base. After a wild pitch advanced them to second and third, Cameron Barstad smashed the game-winning single into right-center field, scoring both runners and giving the Sky Carp the 2-1 walk-off victory.
Cedar Rapids looks for its first win of the season in the series finale in Beloit tomorrow afternoon at 1:05. Christian MacLeod gets the start for Cedar Rapids opposite Alex Williams.