Tait’s Eighth-Inning Home Run Pushes Kernels Past Timber Rattlers 5-4

APPLETON, Wis - Trailing 4-3 with two outs in the top of the eighth, Eduardo Tait blasted a game-winning two-run home run to right to propel the Kernels to a 5-4 win Saturday night, snapping the Cedar Rapids six-game losing streak.

The Timber Rattlers opened the scoring in the bottom of the third. Josiah Ragsdale walked to start the inning and scored a batter later on a Marco Dinges RBI double to put Wisconsin in front 1-0. A batter later, Braylon Payne smashed a two-run home run to up the lead to 3-0.

Cedar Rapids responded in the top of the fourth. Brandon Winokur worked a walk in front of Dameury Pena, who plated Winokur all the way from first base with an RBI triple. A batter later, Pena scored on an Eduardo Tait RBI groundout to cut the Timber Rattler lead to 3-2.

Wisconsin got a run back in the bottom of the fifth. A Dinges walk, and an Eric Bitonti single put runners on the corners for Daniel Dickinson, who made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly.

That stayed the score until the top of the eighth. After recording just one hit through seven innings, Graham Brown began the Kernels' half of the inning with a single. After a groundout moved Brown to second, Winokur put runners on the corners with a base hit. The next batter, Pena, brought Cedar Rapids within one with an RBI groundout. With Winokur now on second, Tait lined a go-ahead two-run home run to right to put the Kernels in front 5-4.

Holding a one-run lead, Sam Rochard came on and slammed the door. Rochard stranded runners in scoring position in both the eighth and the ninth to post a six-out save in the 5-4 win.

The victory snaps the Kernels' six-game losing streak and improves Cedar Rapids to 32-39 on the season, 1-6 in the second half. The series in Wisconsin wraps up Sunday afternoon at 1:10. Michael Ross gets the start opposite Braylon Owens.