Colina, Kernels Pick Up 3-1 Win Over Bees

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - Edwar Colina earned his first Midwest League victory with five shutout innings Tuesday in the Cedar Rapids Kernels' 3-1 win against the Burlington Bees at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kevin Marnon finished the contest with two scoreless frames for the save to pull Cedar Rapids into a 1-1 tie in this four-game series.
In his first appearance in more than two weeks, Colina (1-0) shook off the rust and finished on a high note. Colina escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning with a strikeout of Spencer Griffin. The strikeout opened a streak of 10 consecutive batters retired to get through the fifth. He also led all pitchers in Tuesday's tilt with four total strikeouts.

After preventing Burlington (8-8) from scoring in the top of the second, Cedar Rapids (8-4) took a 2-0 lead during the home half of the inning. Consecutive one-out singles by Ben Rortvedt and Ben Rodriguez put runners at the corners for Jean Carlos Arias, who drove in Rortvedt with a sacrifice fly. Shane Carrier followed with an RBI double that plated Rodriguez.
The Bees closed the gap to 2-1 within the sixth inning. A balk by Jose Martinez allowed Brandon Marsh to come home, but that was the only run that Martinez gave up over two-plus innings pitched. He was credited with his first hold of the season for keeping the Kernels in front.
Royce Lewis extended Cedar Rapids' lead to 3-1 with an RBI single in the eighth. Akil Baddoo collected a one-run single and reached third on a stolen base coupled with an error before Lewis deposited a run-scoring single into right field.
Marnon recorded his first Kernels save after stranded a pair of Bees. He inherited a runner from Martinez in the eighth but retired all three batters faced during the inning. Marnon yielded a leadoff single in the ninth but no other damage while bringing Tuesday's game to a close.
Isaac Mattson (1-2) was the losing pitcher for Burlington. He allowed two runs over five innings pitched in Tuesday's 3-1 decision.
The penultimate game of this series is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:35 p.m., and Kernels left-hander Tyler Watson (1-0, 1.08) will face Bees right-hander Jeremy Beasley (0-1, 4.50). Catch the action with Morgan Hawk on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com, www.kernels.com, and MiLB.TV.
Bark in the Park makes its first appearance of the season for Wednesday's tilt. Fans can bring their dog to the contest by purchasing a special "doggie" ticket, and proceeds from those tickets will support Gems Forever and Critter Crusaders. Mediacom MC22 will also be at Wednesday's contest and will air its broadcast of the game later this week via tape delay.
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.