LumberKings Split Doubleheader

Clinton, IA - The LumberKings and Kernels faced off in a doubleheader for the second consecutive day at Ashford University Field on Sunday afternoon.  Clinton earned a split, taking the first game of the day.  Cedar Rapids clinched the series win with its victory in game two.

Clinton took game one, 3-2.  Cedar Rapids jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning. Jorge Polanco hit an RBI double to left-center on a play where Jabari Henry and Guillermo Pimentel collided in the outfield.  Dalton Hicks followed with another RBI double, giving the Kernels a 2-0 lead.

The LumberKings tied the game in the fourth inning on a two-run blast from Pimentel, his third home run of the season.

Clinton took the lead in the sixth inning with a two-out rally.  Brock Hebert, Gaby Guerrero and Taylor Ard tallied consecutive singles, all with two away.  Ard drove in Hebert to score the go-ahead run, putting the LumberKings in front, 3-2.

Already in cruise control after the first inning, LumberKings starter Dylan Unsworth made quick work of the Kernels in the seventh.  After a lead-off single by Travis Harrison, Unsworth got Romy Jimenez to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play and then struck out Jairo Rodriguez to end the game and earn the complete-game victory. 

Cedar Rapids earned the series win with the 7-6 victory in game two.  The Kernels opened up a 7-0 lead with four runs in the third and three more in the fifth inning.  Dalton Hicks crushed a three-run home run off Oliver Garcia to break open the game in the third.

The LumberKings rallied in the fifth and six innings in a valiant comeback bid.  Two errors by the Kernels keyed the fifth-inning rally, leading to four unearned runs off Tim Atherton.  However, Gaby Guerrero was thrown out at home to end the inning, keeping the score at 7-4.

Clinton scored twice more in the sixth inning.  Ketel Marte reached base on a bunt single with two outs to spark a rally. Dario Pizzano followed with a single, his second base hit of the game, extending his hitting streak to seven games in the process.  After an RBI single by Pimentel, Patrick Kivlehan reached on a throwing error by Niko Goodrum to keep the inning alive.  With the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second, Taylor Ard flied out to right field to end the sixth, stopping the rally short.

The LumberKings get back on the road with a three-game set at Quad Cities.  Clinton will send right-hander Stephen Landazuri to the mound, while the River Bandits counter with right-hander Lance McCullers.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM CT at Modern Woodmen Park.