Williams, Winder Secure Doubleheader Split

GENEVA, ILL. - A three-run tiebreaking home run by Chris Williams and a quality start from Josh Winder carried the Cedar Rapids Kernels to a 3-2 victory Sunday in the nightcap of a doubleheader split with the Kane County Cougars at Northwestern Medicine Field. Cedar Rapids (11-12) bounced back for the triumph after Kane County (14-10) picked up a 3-2 walk-off win to start the twin bill.
Williams lifted the Kernels to a 3-0 lead during the fifth inning of the twin bill finale. Batting with two runners aboard, he belted a two-out blast off Kenny Hernandez to the scoreboard beyond the left-field wall. Justin Lewis (1-2) allowed the first baserunner of the inning with a one-out walk to Estamy Urena, and he was the losing pitcher in the contest.

Winder (1-0) notched his first quality start with only one run allowed over a career-high 6.1 innings. Winder took a shutout into the seventh before Derek Molina inherited a one-on, one-out situation. Eddie Hernandez and Tra Holmes drove in runs with a single and a groundout, respectively, before Molina capped his second save of the season with a game-ending strikeout.
Sunday's opener started with two quick runs from Kane County, but Cedar Rapids later pulled even. RBI singles in the bottom of the first from Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas boosted the Cougars to a 2-0 advantage. In the top of the sixth, Ben Rodriguez collected a run-scoring double and tallied the game-tying run via sacrifice fly.
Kane County won the first tilt, 3-2, in walk-off fashion. Zack Shannon drew a two-out walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Jorge Perez. Buddy Kennedy followed with a single to right field. After a wide turn around third base, Perez drew a throw behind him to third and scampered home just ahead of the relay to the plate for the deciding run.
Andy Toelken (3-0) received credit for the victory and was also tagged with a blown save in the contest. Jose Martinez (0-1) gave up the walk-off run and took the loss.
Cedar Rapids returns to competition Tuesday and kicks off a six-game homestand by hosting the Bowling Green Hot Rods for three games. Tuesday's opener will start at 6:35 p.m., and fans unable to attend the contest can follow the action on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com, www.kernels.com, and MiLB.TV.
Bark in the Park sponsored by Urban Acres Real Estate invites fans to bring a four-legged friend to Tuesday's tilt. All dogs must be registered, and all proceeds from doggie tickets will benefit Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids. Great Clips Twins Tuesday features a special 2-for-1 ticket coupon available on the Kernels email newsletter and Facebook page. The Kernels will wear special Twins-themed jerseys, and one lucky fan at Tuesday's contest will win a pair of tickets to a Minnesota Twins game.
Fans can purchase tickets for all Cedar Rapids 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 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.