Cardiac Kernels Rally for 5-4 Victory

BURLINGTON, IOWA - Yeltsin Encarnacion hit a two-out, bases-clearing double in the ninth inning to give the Cedar Rapids Kernels a 5-4 win Wednesday against the Burlington Bees at Community Field. The Kernels (7-6, 46-37) earned their third victory when trailing after eight innings of play this season.
Tim Millard drove in all four runs for Burlington (4-9, 43-40) starting with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Harrison Wenson hit a leadoff double and advanced to third base on Alvaro Rubalcaba's fly out. Millard followed with the sacrifice fly that plated Wenson for a 1-0 Bees lead.

Cedar Rapids rallied in front, 2-1, within the fourth. Wander Javier bounced a groundball to third base that led to an error with Gabe Snyder scoring on the play. Two batters later, Ricky De La Torre's RBI single drove in Javier and put the Kernels ahead.
Millard lifted the Bees to a 4-2 advantage during the seventh inning. After a one-out double by Wenson and a walk for Rubalcaba, Millard sent a three-run home run over the left-field wall and collected his first round-tripper of the year.
The Kernels were down to their final strike before Encarnacion's decisive double. Jacob Pearson had a 2-2 count with two outs and two runners aboard, but he took back-to-back pitches for a walk. Encarnacion batted next and doubled to left field to secure a 5-4 lead.
Brian Rapp (3-0) picked up five outs while facing just four batters in a scoreless outing for the victory, and Moises Gomez tossed a perfect ninth inning to record his active-team-high fifth save. Mayky Perez (0-3) gave up three unearned runs in the final frame and was tagged with a blown save and a loss.
Coming up, Cedar Rapids will play at home on the Fourth of July for the 11th season in a row. First pitch between the Kernels and the Bees is slated for 5:05 p.m. Thursday, and the probable pitchers are Cedar Rapids right-hander Luis Rijo (1-5, 2.65) and Burlington right-hander Luis Alvarado (3-4, 2.59). Broadcast coverage will be available on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Gates open at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, and the first 1,000 fans will receive a Military Heroes Baseball Card Set courtesy of Dave Wright Subaru. The individuals in the card set will be honored in a postgame ceremony that will be followed by fireworks. The Kernels will wear special jerseys sponsored by Dave Wright Subaru that will be auctioned off during the tilt to support the ALS Association - Iowa Chapter. It will also be First Federal Credit Union Big Screen Thursday, 94.1 KRNA Thirsty Thursday, and College Night. Plus, the Plumbers & Pipefitters Pavilion is open to the public for a $30.00 all-you-can-eat-and-drink ticket offer.
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.