Pitching and Home Runs Lead Cedar Rapids over Dayton 6-0
Dayton, OH – The Kernels' pitching staff picks up a season-high 16 strikeouts in a shutout effort while the offense blasts three home runs as Cedar Rapids snaps its three-game losing streak topping Dayton 6-0. After scoring just two combined runs in the first two games of the series in
Dayton, OH – The Kernels' pitching staff picks up a season-high 16 strikeouts in a shutout effort while the offense blasts three home runs as Cedar Rapids snaps its three-game losing streak topping Dayton 6-0.
After scoring just two combined runs in the first two games of the series in Dayton, the Kernels matched that mark in the top of the first inning. Tanner Schobel led off the game with a triple, and a batter later scored on an Emmanuel Rodriguez sacrifice fly to put the Kernels ahead 1-0. The next batter Ben Ross then launched a home run in home town ballpark to Cedar Rapids ahead 2-0 after the first half inning.
That 2-0 advantage remained all the way until the top of the sixth inning behind the stellar first outing by Cory Lewis in a Cedar Rapids uniform. The right-hander went five scoreless frames allowing just three hits and one walk while picking up eight strikeouts and the win in his high-A debut.
In the top of the sixth inning, a one-out walk put Misael Urbina on first base for Andrew Cossetti, who smashed his first homer in a Cedar Rapids uniform, a no-doubt shot to left to double the Kernels lead at 4-0.
In the seventh, one swing of the bat by Tanner Schobel made it 5-0. To lead off the frame, Schobel turned around an inside fastball and lifted it out to left for his sixth home run of the season to extend the lead to five.
Cossetti struck again at the plate in the top of the eighth inning. After another Urbina walk, he stole second base and was in scoring position for Cossetti, who produced his third run of the night with a single up the middle to make the game 6-0 which would be the final.
Even with Lewis out of the ballgame, the Kernels’ bullpen was just as sharp. Alejandro Hidalgo was the first out of the pen and allowed just a single hit in his three innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Miguel Rodriguez came in after his and tossed a scoreless ninth. The Cedar Rapids staff combines to throw a season-high 16 strikeouts in the win and has now thrown 17 straight scoreless innings against the Dayton offense.
The win for the Kernels is their thirtieth of the season as the team improves to 30-24 while Dayton falls to 28-26. Cedar Rapids tries to even the series at two games apiece tomorrow night with Marco Raya on the mound against Julian Aguiar in a battle of aces at 6:05.