Wisconsin Erupts for Eight Runs on Twelve Hits, Wins Series Opener Over Kernels 8-4

Cedar Rapids, IA – Coming in on a seven-game losing streak, the Wisconsin offense scored five runs in the first two innings Tuesday night and never looked back, taking the series opener from Cedar Rapids 8-4.

Eric Brown Jr. led off the contest ripping a single to begin his big night at the plate. After he stole second, Brown Jr. came around to score on the first of three Matt Wood RBI singles to make it 1-0 Wisconsin.

In the bottom half of the first, the Kernels got that run back on one swing. With one out, Emmanuel Rodriguez belted his fifth home run of the season over the right field wall to make it a tied game at 1-1 after one inning.

The contest, however, would not be tied for very long. With one out in the top of the second, Je’von Ward notched his third home run of the season, a solo shot to the opposite field to put Wisconsin ahead 2-1. After a single, the lineup flipped to the top of the order, where Brown Jr. crushed his second of four hits of the night and picked up two of his three RBI with a home run to left to make it 4-1. The inning ended 5-1 after another RBI single by Wood drove home Robert Moore after his two-out double.

That was the score until the top of the sixth inning when the Timber Rattlers opened up their largest lead of the contest. With two outs, back-to-back walks put runners on first and second for Brown Jr., who delivered an RBI single with the second run coming home on a throwing error to make it 7-1.

Cedar Rapids got runs back in the sixth and seventh innings to cut the score to four. In the sixth frame, Willie Joe Garry Jr. grabbed an RBI single, driving home Noah Cardenas who doubled. In the seventh, Kala’i Rosario delivered a two-out single to score Ben Ross to make it 7-3.

The two teams traded runs in the ninth inning. Wood got this third RBI base hit in the top half to put Wisconsin up 8-3. Then a Kala’i Rosario solo home run in the bottom half of the ninth made the score 8-4, which would be the final.

The win for Wisconsin (12-27) snaps the Timer Rattlers' seven-game losing streak, while the loss for the Kernels (22-18) is just the team’s seventh in the month of May. The two sides play game two of the series tomorrow at 12:05; Jaylen Nowlin starts on the mound for Cedar Rapids against Alexander Cornielle.