Kernels Take Early Lead and Cruise to 11-4 Win Over Wisconsin

GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Cedar Rapids Kernels are on a playoff drive and they disposed of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers with eight runs in the first two innings on the way to an 11-4 victory over the home team at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Thursday night. Cedar Rapids added three more home runs to their total against the Rattlers this season, too.

Click here for Thursday’s Boxscore

The Kernels (61-50) had a 2-0 lead three batters into the game. Edouard Julien singled on the first pitch of the game. Michael Helman followed with an RBI double and took third on an error on the play. Matt Wallner drove in Helman with a sacrifice fly to right field and Cedar Rapids was up 2-0.

Cedar Rapids sent eleven men to the plate in the top of the second inning and scored six runs to take an 8-0 lead. They scored their runs on three hits, four walks, and two hit batsmen. Wisconsin starting pitcher Antoine Kelly walked the first batter and hit the second batter in the inning before getting a strikeout. The next seven batters reached base.

The streak started with an RBI single by DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Julien walked to load the bases. Helman was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Sabato walked to force in another run and knock Kelly out of the game.

Wisconsin reliever Brady Schanuel walked Matt Wallner to force in the fourth run of the inning before giving up back-to-back RBI singles to Alex Isola and Jeferson Morales. That sequence put the Kernels up 8-0.

LG Castillo put the Timber Rattlers (53-57) on the scoreboard with a two-out, solo home run in the bottom of the second.

The Kernels went back to work in the top of the fourth when Isola and Morales hit back-to-back homers. Julien added a two-out homer in the fifth and Cedar Rapids had an 11-1 lead. Cedar Rapids has hit ten home runs in the first three games of this series and 31 homers in 21 games against Wisconsin this season.

Felix Valerio and Zavier Warren had back-to-back doubles for the Rattlers in the bottom of the sixth. Carlos Rodríguez singled later in the inning to score Warren. Rodríguez had two hits in the game on Thursday night to give him 25 multi-hit games this season.

Joey Wiemer doubled high off the wall in left field in the bottom of the eighth inning to score Warren from first base and the Rattlers were down 11-4. Wiemer now has 23 RBI in 25 games as a Rattler.

Joey Matulovich worked five innings out of the bullpen for Wisconsin. He allowed one run, scattered six hits, and struck out eight.

The win pushed the Kernels into the Wild Card lead in the High-A Central League playoff chase. They had entered the evening tied with the Great Lakes Loons. The Loons lost 10-5 at West Michigan and have fallen a game behind the Kernels with nine games remaining. The team that finishes with the Wild Card spot will face Quad Cities in a best-of-five championship series.

Game four of this series is Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field. Justin Jarvis (1-7, 5.53) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Sean Mooney (0-1, 11.25) is set to start for the Kernels. Game time is 6:35pm.

The Brats are back in town! Celebrate Bratoberfest with the Rattlers and Cher-Make on Friday night. Use promo code “brat” when ordering tickets and receive a game ticket, two beer tickets, and a Bratman-themed beer stein!

The first 1,000 fans to attend this game will receive a Manny Piña Brats bobblehead. Players and coaches will wear some amazing Brats jerseys for this game, too! Plus, The Jerry Schneider Band will be preforming in front of the stadium before the game to get you in the proper Bratoberfest mood!

The final FOX 11 postgame fireworks display is happening after the game. Plus, children twelve and under may run the bases courtesy of Menasha Corporation after the fireworks. Fans of legal drinking age may purchase Arty’s Supper Club Cocktails for half-price as part of Supper Club Friday with 101.1 WIXX during the game.

If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, the radio broadcast is on AM 1280, WNAM and on internet audio with the pregame show at 6:15pm. The game is also available on MiLB.tv.