Kernels Walk-off Again, Sweep West Michigan, 6-5

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Danny De Andrade’s walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth inning propelled the Kernels to their third walk-off win of the week to finish off a six-game sweep of West Michigan 6-5 Sunday afternoon.

After losing a five-run lead on Saturday, the Whitecaps struck first again on Sunday. In the top of the third inning, Hunter Dobbins worked a walk. After an Andrew Sojka single moved him to third, he scored on an RBI groundout to make it 1-0.

Miguel Briceno pulled the Kernels even in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Briceno lifted a solo home run to left to tie the game at 1-1.

West Michigan jumped back ahead in the sixth. Back-to-back doubles from Garrett Pennington and Bryce Rainer combined to plate a run to lift West Michigan in front 2-1. Two batters later, Juan Hernandez singled to score Rainer to extend the advantage to 3-1.

In the top of the eighth, Clayton Campbell smashed a solo home run to right to grow the Whitecaps' lead to 4-1.

That was the score heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Entering the frame, the Kernels had not had a baserunner since there was no one out in the fourth, but that changed on one swing. Eduardo Tait homered to begin the inning to cut the deficit to 4-2. The next batter, Bandon Winokur, singled, and two batters later moved to third on a Jacob McCombs base hit. With runners on the corners, McCombs stole second, and Winokur scored on the throw to make it 4-3. Two hitters later, Rayne Doncon tied the game 4-4 with an RBI single to send it to extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, the extra-innings rule runner, Rainer, moved to third and scored on a pair of wild pitches to put the Whitecaps back in front 5-4.

In the bottom half, Marek Huston was hit by a pitch to put two in front of Tait, who reached on an error that tied the game at 5-5. After a pop out, Danny De Andrade came to the plate with runners on first and second and lined a base hit to left to score the game-winning run for his second walk-off hit of the week in the 6-5 win.

The walk-off win is the Kernels' third in the series against West Michigan and clinches a sweep in the six-game series. Cedar Rapids looks to extend its season-long six-game win streak when it opens a six-game series at Quad Cities Tuesday at 6:30. Both starters in game one are TBD.