Early Outburst Opens 11-3 Kernels Triumph

BURLINGTON, IOWA - Trey Cabbage collected his first professional grand slam within a seven-run first inning Saturday at Community Field during an 11-3 Cedar Rapids Kernels win against the Burlington Bees. Jordan Balazovic tossed six scoreless innings for the win as the Kernels (9-1, 41-38) clinched a series victory in this four-game set at Burlington (1-9, 31-48).
Cedar Rapids scored six runs before an out was recorded in the opening stanza. Back-to-back RBI singles from Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda put the Kernels on the scoreboard. Two batters later, Cabbage launched a grand slam to right-center field. Near the end of the inning, Jacob Pearson delivered a two-out RBI single to push Cedar Rapids' lead to 7-0.

Lewis opened the fourth inning with a solo home run to give the Kernels an 8-0 advantage. He lifted an opposite-field blast to right field for his eighth round-tripper this season.
Pearson stretched the lead to 9-0 during the top of the sixth. With runners at the corners and one out, Robby Rinn grounded into an inning-ending 3-6 double play, but Pearson scored from third base before Miranda was tagged for the final out.
Balazovic (3-1) tallied a near-career-high 10 strikeouts over six shutout innings to earn the win. He also retired the final 11 batters that he faced. His only previous start with six scoreless frames was recorded August 20, 2016 as a member of the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League Twins.
The Bees broke up the shutout within the seventh. Harrison Wenson's two-out, two-run single plated Spencer Griffin and Julio Garcia to trim the deficit to 9-2.
Another run-scoring hit from Lewis during the eighth put Cedar Rapids' advantage at 10-2. He posted an RBI single to bring in Miranda. Over the first three games of this series, Lewis is 8-of-10 with a home run, four doubles, five runs scored and five runs batted in.
Both sides continued to trade runs to wrap up Saturday's contest. Torii Hunter Jr. tripled in the bottom of the eighth and scored via wild pitch. David Banuelos registered a sacrifice fly within the ninth to send the Kernels to their winning margin of 11-3. Tanner Kiest notched a perfect bottom of the ninth to end a three-inning outing and record his first save.
Denny Brady (0-2) faced seven batters in the first inning but did not retire any of them within a losing decision. He was charged for seven runs and five hits during his home debut for the Bees.
Sunday's series finale between Cedar Rapids and Burlington will begin at 2:00 p.m., and Kernels left-hander Bryan Sammons (4-4, 2.69) is scheduled to start against Bees right-hander Oliver Ortega (3-3, 3.26). Broadcast coverage Sunday 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' next homestand is a two-game series with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers that begins on Wednesday, July 4th. 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.