Palacios, Kernels Walk Off on LumberKings

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - Jermaine Palacios hit a three-run walk-off home run in the 12^th inning Monday at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium as the Cedar Rapids Kernels defeated the Clinton LumberKings, 6-3. It was Cedar Rapids' first walk-off homer since May 23, 2016 when Zander Wiel hit a game-winning blast against the Quad Cities River Bandits.
Palacios lifted the Kernels (26-18) to their 6-3 triumph during the bottom of the 12^th. Ben Rortvedt and Aaron Whitefield collected back-to-back singles to open the frame. After a Christian Cavaness strikeout, Palacios cleared the left-field wall for a three-run round-tripper that ended the game. The home run was Palacios' sixth clout of the season.

The game had been tied at 3-3 since Cavaness evened the score in the seventh inning. With one out and Whitefield at first base, Cavaness hit a fly ball to right field that was lost in the lights, and Whitefield came home to tie the contest.
Clinton (16-25) had grabbed a 3-2 lead on a second-inning RBI double from Luis Liberato that brought in Luis Rengifo. Both teams had scored two runs during the opening stanza. Joe Rizzo recorded a two-run double for the LumberKings, and Jaylin Davis and Travis Blankenhorn each drove in a run for the Kernels for a brief 2-2 tie.
Before Palacios' walk-off blast, Cedar Rapids had a chance to win the game in the 10^th. The Kernels put runners at the corners with only one out, but a double play ended that scoring threat and kept the tilt tied until Palacios provided his 12^th-inning heroics.
Kernels reliever Tom Hackimer (2-1) pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts and earned the win. LumberKings reliever Michael Koval (0-2) gave up the walk-off home run in a losing decision. He allowed three runs over 2.1 innings pitched. Cedar Rapids also jumped out to a 1-0 lead in this four-game series by winning Monday's marathon.
Game two of this four-game series will be at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday. Kernels southpaw Domenick Carlini IV (2-2, 4.73) gets the start against LumberKings left-hander Danny Garcia (2-4, 6.63). Morgan Hawk will have the call on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com, www.kernels.com, and MiLB.TV.
For every Great Clips Twins Tuesday, fans can get a 2-for-1 ticket coupon online from the Kernels' Facebook page or email newsletter. One lucky fan at the ballpark Tuesday will win a pair of tickets to a Minnesota Twins game. Plus, the Kernels will wear special Minnesota Twins-themed jerseys on Tuesdays that will be sold later this season via silent auction.
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.