CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Kernels erased a 3-0 deficit, scoring the game’s final eight runs in an 8-3 win over Lake County Friday night.
For the second straight night, the Captains opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. Three straight walks to begin the game loaded the bases for Riley Nelson, who plated the game’s first run with an RBI fielder’s choice. The next batter, Juneiker Caceres, doubled the lead to 2-0 with an RBI double, and after a walk reloaded the bases, an RBI work from Tyler Howard put Lake County in front 3-0.
But that was the end of the Lake County scoring on the night. The Cedar Rapids bullpen, combined between Finnegan Wall, Yehizon Sanchez, Brent Francisco, Cole Peschl and Michael Hilker, did not allow a run across 8.1 innings of work while posting 10 strikeouts.
Cedar Rapids got on the board in the bottom of the second. A Ramiro Dominguez walk and a Byron Chourio single, followed by an error, loaded the bases with two outs before another Lake County error plated two runs to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Kernels pulled even in the third. With one out, JP Smith II lined a home run to left to tie the game, 3-3.
That stayed the score until the seventh. Chourio singled to start the inning, and after he stole second, he moved to third on an error and scored on a Jacob McCombs sacrifice fly to give the Kernels their first lead at 4-3.
In the bottom of the eighth, Cedar Rapids struck for insurance. Singles from Eduardo Tait and Smith put runners on the corners for Jayson Bass, who extended the lead to 5-3 with an RBI single. Two batters later, Chourio blew it wide open, belting a three-run home run to right to set the edge at 8-3, the score that would be the final.
The win is the first for the Kernels in the series and improves Cedar Rapids to 46-76 on the year. The set with the Captain continues Saturday at 6:35. Kolten Smith takes the mound, opposite Nelson Keljo.