SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Jose Salas broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth, and the Kernels did not look back Friday night, scoring the game’s final 13 runs in a 15-2 win over South Bend.
Coming off their first win of the series Thursday, the Kernels got great pitching to begin Friday. In this high-A debut, Merit Jones did not allow a run across four innings of work, only allowing two hits while striking out four.
With the game scoreless in the top of the fifth, Jose Salas worked a walk to begin the inning and scored three batters later on a Yasser Mercedes double to put Cedar Rapids in front 1-0. A batter later, Emmanuel Rodriguez doubled the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single.
The Cubs pulled even in the bottom of the fifth. A pair of walks put two on for South Bend, and after an error plated a run, a Jose Escobar RBI single tied the game 2-2.
That was the end of the South Bend scoring on the night. Michael Ross came on out of the Cedar Rapids bullpen and pitched the final 4.1 innings, not allowing a run on just one hit with six strikeouts.
With the Cubs’ bats quieted, the Kernels scored 13 unanswered runs to close the game. First in the top of the sixth, walks from JP Smith and Quinn McDaniel put two on for Salas, who lined a three-run home run to right to put Cedar Rapids back ahead, 5-2. The next batter, Andy Lugo, singled before walks from Ricardo Pena and Mercedes filled the bases for Rodriguez, who forced in a run with a walk to make it 6-2.
Then in the bottom of the ninth, Cedar Rapids blew it open. Walks from Smith and McDaniel put two on for Salas, who continued his big night with an RBI double. After a wild pitch pushed the lead to 8-2, walks to Pena and Mercedes loaded the bases for Rodriguez, who again took ball four to make the lead 9-2. An Eduardo Tait RBI base hit upped the edge to 10-2 before Smith belted a grand slam to center field to set the Kernels ahead 14-2. The next batter, Jayson Bass, capped off the offensive night with a solo home run to right, making it 15-2, the score that would be the final.
The win improves the Kernels to 40-64 on the season and evens the series in South Bend at 2-2. The set with the Cubs continues Saturday at 6:05; Juston Mitrovich gets the start opposite Pierce Coppola.