Balazovic Fans 11 Timber Rattlers in 3-1 Win

GRAND CHUTE, WIS. - Jordan Balazovic registered a career-high 11 strikeouts over a personal-best seven innings pitched to lead the Cedar Rapids Kernels to a 3-1 victory Monday against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Trey Cabbage went 3-of-3 and finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle to highlight the Kernels' offense.
Balazovic (1-0) limited the Timber Rattlers to one run and three hits within a quality start. He set down 10 consecutive batters in one stretch including eight retired on strikes in that streak. His 11 strikeouts Monday also represent the best single-game total by any Kernels pitcher this season.

Cedar Rapids (29-34) jumped ahead for good during the third inning. Jacob Pearson led off with a walk and advanced to third base on a single from Cabbage. Two batters later, Akil Baddoo came through with an RBI groundout to secure a 1-0 advantage.
The Kernels added another run in the fourth to extend their lead to 2-0. Back-to-back singles from Alex Kirilloff and Jose Miranda put runners at the corners. Later in the frame, Andrew Bechtold drove in Kirilloff via sacrifice fly.
Cabbage lifted Cedar Rapids to a 3-0 edge within the top of the seventh inning. He sent a 2-1 offering from Nelson Hernandez over the left-field wall for an opposite-field solo home run. Hernández (7-3) allowed all three of Cedar Rapids' runs Monday and was tagged with the loss.
Wisconsin (31-33) produced its only run during the bottom of the seventh. Payton Henry blasted a solo shot to left field that trimmed the Timber Rattlers' deficit to 3-1.
Jared Finkel and Calvin Faucher combined with Balazovic to retire the final nine batters following Henry's homer. Finkel recorded a perfect eighth inning and notched his first hold this year. Faucher tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for his first Kernels save.
This seven-game Kernels road trip continues with a three-game series at the Kane County Cougars. Tuesday's series opener will begin at 6:30 p.m., and Cedar Rapids right-hander Randy Dobnak (3-2, 4.65) will face Kane County right-hander Brian Shaffer (2-4, 3.17). Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will call the action on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Cedar Rapids' last homestand in the first half of the season is scheduled for Friday, June 15 through Sunday, June 17. Fans can purchase tickets for all Cedar Rapids home games by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.