Kernels Score in Seven Consecutive Innings, Top Chiefs 8-4

PEORIA, ILL - Cedar Rapids scored runs in the game's first seven innings Friday night, besting Peoria 8-4 to break its five-game losing streak.

For the second night in a row, Eduardo Tait opened the scoring. Two batters in, he blasted a solo home run to right to jump the Kernels ahead 1-0.

Peoria tied it in the bottom of the first. A pair of walks opened the inning, and Jesús Báez pulled the Chiefs even with an RBI double. After the next batter, Cade McGee, worked a walk, the bases were loaded with no one out. But the Kernels did not allow another run in the inning and kept it 1-1 going to the second.

In the second, Caden Kendle walked to open the inning. After a balk moved him to second, a groundball moved him to third and another balk scored him to lift Cedar Rapids back in front 2-1.

The Chiefs again had the answer in the bottom half. With two outs in the frame, Tai Peete lined a home run to right to tie it 2-2.

Cedar Rapids took the lead back in the top of the third, and this time did not look back. Marek Houston doubled to begin the inning and scored two batters later on a Brandon Winokur RBI single to put Cedar Rapids in front 3-2.

In the fourth, Rayne Doncon doubled with one out and came around to score on a Luis Hernandez RBI base hit to double the lead to 4-2.

The Kernels added two more in the fifth. A Danny De Andrade single and a Kendle walk put two on to begin the inning. After a wild pitch moved them both into scoring position, a Doncon RBI fielder’s choice, followed by a Miguel Briceno RBI single, drove home the pair to extend the advantage to 6-2.

With two outs in the sixth, De Andrade reached on a dropped third strike to extend the inning. After Kendle worked his third walk of the night, De Andrade came in to score on a Jay Thomason RBI double to make it 7-2.

Peoria got a run back on a José Suárez solo home run in the bottom of the sixth before the Kernels scored for their seventh consecutive inning in the top of the seventh. Briceno singled and was pinch-run for by Andy Lugo. After Lugo stole second, he moved to third on an error and scored on a Houston fielder’s choice to up the edge to 8-3.

That stayed the score until the bottom of the ninth when the Chiefs plated a run, but it was not enough in the 8-4 Kernels win.

The Cedar Rapids bullpen got 25 outs in the victory. Combined between Sam Rochard, Jacob Wosinski, Cole Peschl and Christian Becerra, the Kernels pen allowed just three runs in 8.1 innings of work.

The win snaps the Kernels five-game losing streak and improves Cedar Rapids to 8-11 on the season. Game five of the series in Peoria is set for Saturday at 6:05 with Eli Jones getting the start against Yhoiker Fajardo.