Rijo, Kernels Blank Bees Monday

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - Luis Rijo held the Burlington Bees to one hit over five scoreless innings to win a 6-0 combined shutout Monday for the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Moises Gomez and Carlos Suniaga each pitched two shutout frames in relief as Cedar Rapids (21-23) grabbed a 1-0 series lead against Burlington (26-18).
Rijo (1-4) earned his first Midwest League victory within the opener of an eight-game homestand. He notched a team-high six strikeouts and did not allow any baserunners to advance past second base. Rijo retired the final four batters that he faced including a strikeout to end the fifth inning and qualify for the win.

Gomez and Suniaga shared the work out of the bullpen to finish the four-hit shutout. Both relievers racked up four strikeouts and prevented Burlington from getting into scoring position.
The Kernels jumped out to a quick 4-0 advantage during the first inning. Gilberto Celestino produced an RBI double before scoring on an RBI single from Gabe Snyder. Later in the frame, Gabriel Maciel singled to drive in Snyder and Jared Akins.
Another tally in the bottom of the second increased the lead to 5-0 Cedar Rapids. Ben Rodriguez and Estamy Urena opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and Celestino added a one-out single to bring Rodriguez home.
Yeltsin Encarnacion pushed the Kernels to a 6-0 edge within the eighth. Maciel drew a leadoff walk and reached second base on a wild pitch. He remained in scoring position until Encarnacion's two-out RBI triple.
Jose Soriano (3-4) was the losing pitcher for Burlington. He gave up a season-high five runs and a career-high 10 hits while posting seven strikeouts over four innings pitched. The four runs surrendered in the opening stanza were his first runs allowed in the first inning this season.
Coming up, Cedar Rapids will host Burlington at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday to continue this four-game series and eight-game Kernels homestand. Kernels right-hander Andrew Cabezas (1-3, 3.31) and Bees right-hander Robinson Pina (3-2, 2.17) are expected to start the contest. Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will call Tuesday's game on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY and also online at www.kmryradio.com, www.kernels.com, and MiLB.TV.
Bark in the Park, presented by Urban Acres, encourages fans to bring a dog to the contest with a purchase of a special doggie ticket with all proceeds from doggie tickets benefitting Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids. Great Clips Twins Tuesday features a 2-for-1 ticket offer available on the Kernels email newsletter and Facebook page. The Kernels will wear special Twins-themed jerseys, and one lucky fan at Tuesday's tilt will win a pair of tickets to a Minnesota Twins game.
Fans can purchase tickets for all Cedar Rapids Kernels home games 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.