Kernels Sweep Doubleheader in Peoria 4-3 and 6-5

Peoria, IL - Cedar Rapids blasts four solo home runs in game one and takes a rain-shortened contest in game two to sweep the doubleheader against Peoria 4-3 and 6-5 Friday night.

After falling behind early in the first three games of the set, Cedar Rapids got on the board first to begin Friday. With two outs in the top of the second, Andy Lugo, Jaime Ferrer and Caden Kendle crushed back-to-back-to-back home runs, the first time Kernels have done that since 2023, to jump ahead 3-0.

After Peoria got a run back in the third, the Kernels went back to the long ball in the fourth. To begin the inning, Ferrer belted his second home run of the game, a solo shot left to lift Cedar Rapids on top 4-1.

The Chiefs got single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but they were not enough as the Kernels held on to the 4-3 game one win.

In game two, the Kernels' offense picked up right where it left off, with the long ball. To lead off the top of the third, Maddux Houghton crushed a solo home run to left to jump Cedar Rapids on top 1-0. The next batter, Luke Napleton, reached on a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on a ground out and scored on a Billy Amick RBI single to double the lead to 2-0. After a wild pitch moved Amick to second, he came home to score on a Danny De Andrade RBI base hit to grow the lead to 3-0.

But Peoria answered right back. In the bottom half of the frame, a single and a walk put two on for Zach Levenson, who cut it to a one-run game at 3-2 with a two-run double.

The Kernels didn’t waste time responding. In the top of the fourth, a Kyle Hess walk and an Andy Lugo single put two on for Houghton, who drove in both with a two-run triple. Two batters later, Houghton came home to score on a Kyle DeBarge RBI triple of his own to extend the Cedar Rapids advantage to 6-2.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Chiefs again had the answer. Brayden Jobert crushed the first pitch of the inning over the wall in right to cut the deficit to 6-3. After the next three batters reached to load the bases, Levenson worked a walk to make it 6-4. The next batter, Ryan Campos, then cut it back to a one-run game at 6-5 with an RBI fielder’s choice.

With the Kernels still on top 6-5 in the middle of the sixth inning, rain came down and caused the game to be called after five making the 6-5 tally the final.

The wins improve the Kernels to 49-35 on the season as they begin the series in Peoria 4-0. Game five of the set is slated for Saturday night at 7:05. Ty Langenberg gets the start for the Kernels opposite Darlin Saladin.