Kernels Drop Series Finale 5-1 in Front of 4,626 at Veterans Memorial Stadium

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A season-high 4,626 fans packed Veterans Memorial Stadium Sunday afternoon, but it was Wisconsin who topped the Kernels 5-1 to earn a split in the series.

After scoring 15 runs Saturday, the Timber Rattlers opened the scoring on Sunday. With two outs in the top of the third inning, back-to-back singles from Luis Peña and Sawyer Strosnider put two on for Daniel Dickinson and Eric Bitonti, who both produced RBI singles to lift Wisconsin in front 2-0.

That was all the run support Wisconsin starter Jayden Dubanewicz needed. In his second start of the series, Dubanewicz did not allow a run across five innings of work with three strikeouts and no walks en route to the win.

In the top of the fifth, the Timber Rattlers doubled the lead. A pair of walks put two runners on before two straight RBI hits from Luis Castillo and Tayden Hall pushed home two more runs to make it 4-0.

After a Luiyin Alastre RBI single upped the Wisconsin lead to 5-0 in the top of the ninth, Cedar Rapids got on the board in the bottom of the inning. To lead off the inning, Danny De Andrade blasted a solo home run to left, but that was all for the Kernels' offense on the day in a 5-1 defeat.

Cedar Rapids falls to 44-68 with the loss and settles for a split in the six-game series against Wisconsin. The Kernels hit the road Tuesday to begin a six-game series in Beloit at 6:05; both pitchers are TBD.