Kernels roll to 10-1 win at Beloit

BELOIT, Wis. - The Kernels rolled to a 10-1 win over the Beloit Snappers at Pohlman Field in Game 1 on Thursday night. Cedar Rapids hit four home runs while Jhoan Duran struck out 10 Snappers for the victory on the mound. Cedar Rapids has now won nine consecutive first-round playoff games. Cedar Rapids will host Game 2 and Game 3, if necessary, for a doubleheader on Friday at 6:00 p.m.
Ryan Jeffers hit two of the home runs for Cedar Rapids. Gabriel Maciel also homered. Trey Cabbage's home run was a grand slam in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. It was the team's ninth grand slam in 2018.
Duran (1-0) was terrific on the mound as he struck out 10 batters over six innings, allowing just one run on three hits with three walks for the win. Johan Quezada tossed two scoreless innings with four strikeouts while Rickey Ramirez pitched the final inning, striking out one. Overall, the Kernels struck out 15 Snappers.
The Kernels played long ball with a pair of solo home runs in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. Jeffers led off the inning with a solo blast to left-center. Two batters later, Maciel went deep down the left field line to give the Kernels the early advantage.
The Snappers responded by putting two runners in scoring position with no outs in the bottom of the second after a walk to Ryan Gridley and a double by Jack Meggs. After a pair of strikeouts, Gridley scored on a wild pitch to make the score 2-1.
Five consecutive Kernels reached base in the third inning as Cedar Rapids took a 4-1 lead. Michael Helman doubled before scoring on Trevor Larnach's RBI single. Jeffers singled, and Ben Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Maciel followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk, putting the Kernels up by three.
Cabbage hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth inning, pushing the lead to 8-1. The slam scored Jeffers, Maciel and Davis as the Kernels drew four total walks in the inning. The Kernels drew a total of seven walks on the night.
Jeffers added his second home run in the ninth inning. It was a two-run shot that also scored Larnach, who led off the inning with a walk.
Jared Poche (0-1) started for Beloit and lasted 2.1 innings for the loss, allowing four runs on six hits. Jesus Zambrano and Slater Lee pitched well in relief for the Snappers, combining to toss 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit. Brandon Withers allowed three runs in 0.1 inning while Joseph Camacho allowed three runs in 1.2 innings.
Cedar Rapids will host Game 2 and Game 3, if necessary, on Friday for a doubleheader at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be scheduled for seven innings. If either the Kernels or Beloit sweep the series, Game 3 will not be played.
Randy Dobnak (10-5, 3.14) will face Beloit's Ivan Andueza (4-10, 5.35) in the opener. If necessary, Game 3 will feature Bryan Sammons (5-5, 2.32) and Beloit's Jhenderson Hurtado (0-2, 6.10). Fans can listen to the action on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM, as well as online at www.kernels.com and www.kmryradio.com.
Fans can purchase tickets 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 opens at 11:00 a.m.