Cabezas Carries Kernels in Shutout Victory

DAVENPORT, IOWA - Andrew Cabezas only allowed one hit over nine innings pitched and won a 3-0 complete-game shutout Saturday for the Cedar Rapids Kernels against the Quad Cities River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park. Cedar Rapids (10-6, 49-37) picked up its season-high sixth victory in a row with each win decided by three runs or fewer.
Cabezas (3-5) improved to 2-0 against Quad Cities (10-5, 53-28) with 16 shutout innings pitched over two starts versus the River Bandits. He took a perfect game into the fourth inning, and he was in line for a no-hitter until David Hensley's two-out single in the seventh. Cabezas recorded a game-high-tying seven strikeouts compared to just one walk. His victory was the first nine-inning, complete-game shutout since Clark Beeker's 2-0 triumph July 29, 2017 against the Clinton LumberKings.

Saturday's win also marked the eighth consecutive contest with a quality start from a Kernels pitcher. During this streak, Cedar Rapids starters have a 4-0 record with four total earned runs allowed over 57 innings for a 0.63 earned run average.
All three Kernels runs came during the sixth inning. Jacob Pearson led off with a double and reached third base via wild pitch. Gabe Snyder singled to center field and drove Pearson home. Two batters later, Chris Williams launched his team-high 10th home run to left-center field and lifted Cedar Rapids to its winning margin of 3-0.
Matt Ruppenthal (3-3) tossed a personal-best 5.2 innings and matched Cabezas with seven strikeouts, but he was saddled with the loss Saturday. Hansel Paulino replaced Ruppenthal within the sixth inning and did not give up any runs or hits in the final 3.1 innings.
This three-game series continues Sunday at 5:15 p.m. with Kernels right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (2-0, 2.33) and River Bandits right-hander Jose Bravo (1-1, 4.12) scheduled to start the contest. Broadcast coverage with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will be available on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Cedar Rapids will host its next homestand Wednesday, July 10 through Monday, July 15. Fans can purchase tickets for all Cedar Rapids Kernels home games by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.