Cedar Rapids Experiences Déjà Vu at Clinton

CLINTON, IOWA - Scoreless pitching and a first-inning rally highlighted the second Clinton LumberKings victory in as many nights as the Cedar Rapids Kernels were defeated Thursday by a 6-0 margin at NelsonCorp Field. Clinton improved to 36-23 in the second half and 69-59 overall while securing a 2-0 advantage in this three-game series.
Tanner Andrews (7-4), Elkin Alcala, and Tyler Mitzel teamed up for Clinton's four-hit shutout. Andrews matched career highs with nine strikeouts and seven scoreless innings. One shutout frame each from Alcala and Mitzel closed the contest.

The LumberKings posted four runs in the opening stanza for a quick 4-0 lead. A strikeout coupled with a passed ball and a throwing error allowed Christopher Torres and Bubba Hollins to come home. Evan Edwards doubled the lead on a two-run single that drove in Peyton Burdick and Kameron Misner.
Despite the rough start within his first professional loss, Matt Canterino (1-1) found a rhythm for Cedar Rapids (32-27, 71-58) after the early outburst. He retired the final 14 batters faced after the two-run single by Edwards. Canterino ended his outing with a career-high-tying five innings pitched and five strikeouts.
A pair of late runs stretched the lead to 6-0 Clinton. Misner scored within the sixth inning after a single by Thomas Jones. Hollins provided the final tally while coming home on an eighth-inning force out from J.D. Osborne.
Friday's series finale will begin at 6:30 p.m., and Kernels right-hander Tyler Palm (3-8, 3.84) is scheduled to start against LumberKings right-hander Alberto Guerrero (7-6, 3.21). Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will call the contest on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Fans can purchase tickets for all 2019 Cedar Rapids Kernels home games including the playoff opener September 4 against the Quad Cities River Bandits by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or 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. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.