Kernels Dominate Middle-Innings, Top Bandits in Series Opener
Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits were out-scored by six in the fourth and fifth innings and failed to overcome the deficit, as they fell to the Cedar Rapids Kernels 7-3 in game one of the seven-game series at Modern Woodmen Park. For the second-straight game, the River
Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits were out-scored by six in the fourth and fifth innings and failed to overcome the deficit, as they fell to the Cedar Rapids Kernels 7-3 in game one of the seven-game series at Modern Woodmen Park.
For the second-straight game, the River Bandits took the first lead of the ballgame, with Carter Jensen’s solo home run against Kernels’ starter Alejandro Hidalgo, his third of the season, giving Quad Cities a 1-0 lead in the second.
After Noah Cardenas tied the game with an RBI single for the Kernels in the third, the Bandits retook the lead on an RBI fielder’s choice courtesy of Gavin Cross, but it would be the final run they would score until the seventh.
In the fourth, the Kernels broke through against the Midwest League’s strikeout leader, Noah Cameron, who gave up four-straight extra-base hits, including an RBI double by Jose Salas and then back-to-back homers to Jeferson Morales and Keoni Cavaco to make it 5-2 Kernels.
Hidalgo would complete his outing with a scoreless bottom of the fourth, before his offense added even more with a Tanner Schobel RBI double and Misael Urbina RBI single, that put Cedar Rapids in front 7-2 and ran Cameron from the game.
While Brandon Johnson and Wander Arias combined for 3.2 scoreless innings to quiet the Kernels offense, Quad Cities stranded six base runners over the final four innings including an opportunity with the bases loaded in the sixth, when Niklas Rimmel got Kale Emshoff to bounce into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
The Bandits tacked on one more in the seventh, as Javier Vaz extended his hit streak to a team-best ten games with an RBI single, but it was not near enough, as John Stankiewicz and Regi Grace held Quad Cities to just two base runners over the final two innings for a 7-3 Kernels victory.
Rimmel (3-0) earned the win out of the bullpen for Cedar Rapids, with 2.0-scoreless innings out of the bullpen, while Cameron (1-2) allowed a career-high seven runs on 10 hits over 4.1 frames and took the loss.
Quad Cities will look to even up the series on Wednesday at Modern Woodmen Park, as Luinder Avila (1-1, 2.53) will get the start against Cedar Rapids’ Orlando Rodriguez (3-1, 1.10). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30pm.