Tanner Schobel’s RBI Single in the Top of the Ninth Inning Propels Kernels to Comeback 5-4 Win Over Lansing

Lansing, MI – Down to their final strike twice in the top of the ninth inning, Tanner Schobel delivered a two-out RBI single, scoring Jose Salas tying the game at 4-4, and after an errant throw to the plate, Jefferson Morales also came around to touch home to give the Kernels the game-winning run in the 5-4 win Tuesday night.

Jaylen Nowlin got the start for Cedar Rapids in game one of the six-game series, and the Lansing offense got to him early. With two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Euribiel Angeles delivered an RBI single to put Lansing ahead 1-0.

The Kernels came back to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the third inning. With a runner on and two outs, Tanner Schobel delivered his second hit and first RBI of the evening with a single scoring Misael Urbina to make it 1-1, which would be the score after three.

In the fourth, the home runs started to come for Lansing. On the first pitch, he saw in the bottom of the frame, Junior Perez crushed a solo blast to give the Lugnuts the lead again at 2-1.

In the fifth, Brayan Buelvas smashed another Lansing solo shot to left to lead off the inning to extend the Lugnut lead to 3-1.

Cedar Rapids cut the lead down to one in the top of the fifth inning. After a Jeferson Morales leadoff double, Emmanuel Rodriguez delivered an RBI single on a hard ground ball through the right side, making the Lansing lead 3-2.

The Lugnuts used the long ball to their advantage again to re-extend the lead to two runs in the bottom of the seventh. With Charlie Neuweiler on the mound, Angeles led off the inning with Lansings’ third solo home run of the game, a new season high, to put the Nuts ahead 4-2.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Kernels cut the Lugnuts' lead in half. With two-on and two-out, Ben Ross dropped in a bloop single to score Rodriguez and make the game 4-3.

In the top of the ninth inning, Jose Salas delivered a two-out single to keep Kernels alive. Then after a Morales walk, Schobel came to the plate with two-on and two-out. Behind in the count 0-2, Schobel bounced a ball through the right side on the infield. With Salas rounding third as the tying run, the throw from the outfield came to the plate, where Salas scored as the ball got away from the catcher and went all the way to the backstop, allowing Morales to score from first to give the Kernels the 5-4 advantage.

In the button of the ninth, Regi Grace came on and threw a 1-2-3 frame grabbing his fifth save of the season in the Kernels' 5-4 win.

The victory is the fourth in a row for Cedar Rapids (26-20) as the Kernels improve to a season-best six games over .500. Game two in Lansing (21-25) is set for 10:05 on Wednesday morning, with Kyle Jones back on the mound for CR against Brady Basso.