Diaz Drives Kernels to 7-3 Win Over Captains

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - Lewin Diaz went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five runs batted in Tuesday as the Cedar Rapids Kernels defeated the Lake County Captains, 7-3, at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Diaz recorded his first multi-homer performance and a tie-breaking, bases-clearing double within his stellar outing against the Captains.
A pair of solo shots from Diaz lifted Cedar Rapids (14-10) to an early 2-0 lead. Diaz homered down the right-field line in the first inning and lined a solo blast to right field during the bottom of the fourth. He ended Tuesday's tilt with a season total of three home runs.

Lake County (9-15) responded in the fifth inning, grabbing a brief 3-2 advantage. Luke Wakamatsu opened the scoring by coming home on a bases-loaded walk by Alexis Pantoja, and Gabriel Mejia followed by driving in Conner Capel to tie the contest. A wild pitch allowed Trenton Brooks to score the go-ahead run.
In the home half of the fifth, Aaron Whitefield brought the Kernels level. Whitefield smashed a solo home run to left field and evened the score at 3-3. It was his team-high fifth round-tripper of the season.
The game remained tied until Diaz delivered a decisive blow late in the seventh inning. Batting with two outs and the bases loaded, Diaz blooped a three-run double to left field that brought in Brandon Lopez, Whitefield, and Jermaine Palacios to give the Kernels a 6-3 edge.
Another tally during the eighth pushed Cedar Rapids to its winning margin of 7-3. Caleb Hamilton collected a one-out triple and scored on an RBI single from Lopez.
Kernels reliever Hector Lujan (1-0) was not charged for a run over three hitless innings and picked up the win. Captains reliever Tanner Tully (0-1) allowed a season-high four runs in three frames and took the loss. Cedar Rapids reliever Colton Davis escaped a jam in the eighth inning and was credited with his first hold of the year.
Also from Tuesday's contest, Whitefield came within a triple of hitting for the cycle, and Palacios batted 2-for-4 to lock down a 14-game hit streak, the best active hit streak in the Midwest League.
The next game between Cedar Rapids and Lake County is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Wednesday. Kernels right-hander Tyler Beardsley (2-1, 3.94) will pitch against Captains right-hander Micah Miniard (1-0, 3.13). Coverage will be available on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com, www.kernels.com, and MiLB.TV.
Wednesday's tilt will be the second contest in a three-game series and a six-game homestand. Upcoming promotions include Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Theme Night this Friday, Kentucky Derby Night with postgame fireworks Saturday, and the Chuck Fulton Memorial Home Run Derby and 2017 Kernels Baseball Card Set Giveaway from Perfect Game USA for Sunday.
Fans can purchase tickets for all 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 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.