South Bend Walks Off in Rubber Game

SOUTH BEND, IND. - A throwing error in the ninth inning allowed the South Bend Cubs to pick up a 2-1 walk-off victory Wednesday afternoon against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Four Winds Field. South Bend (17-15) also recorded a 2-1 series win over the Kernels (14-18).
The Cubs broke a 1-1 tie during the bottom of the ninth to finish the rubber game. Christopher Morel hit a leadoff single before Eric Gonzalez produced a sacrifice bunt. Morel moved to third base on a groundball from Rafael Narea, and an errant throw on the play gave Morel the chance to come home and lift South Bend to its 2-1 triumph.

Wednesday's matinee opened a pitchers' duel between Kernels right-hander Andrew Cabezas and Cubs right-hander Eury Ramos. Cabezas held South Bend to one run over a career-best 6.2 innings pitched while Ramos posted a season-high seven strikeouts in five shutout frames.
South Bend tallied an early run within the first inning and held the lead before Cedar Rapids pulled even in the sixth. Jonathan Sierra drove in D.J. Artis with a one-out single for a 1-0 Cubs advantage during the opening stanza. The Kernels answered five innings later when Gabriel Maciel tripled and later scored via wild pitch.
Ryan Lawlor (2-2) did not allow any runs or hits over the final two frames and received credit for the win. Moises Gomez (0-2) was the losing pitcher with one unearned run yielded within the ninth inning.
This six-game Kernels road trip continues Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. ET (6:05 p.m. CT) with the opener of a three-game series at the West Michigan Whitecaps. Cedar Rapids right-hander Blayne Enlow (2-3, 6.94) will start against West Michigan southpaw Adam Wolf (1-3, 9.00). Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will call the action on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Cedar Rapids' next homestand features four games in three days beginning with a doubleheader May 13. 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.