Kernels Top Cubs 7-1, Improve to 75-45 on the Season

South Bend, IN - Cedar Rapids logged seven runs on ten hits Sunday afternoon to top South Bend 7-1 in the series finale to take the set over the Cubs 4-2 and improve to 30 games over .500 on the season for the first time in ten years.

After scoring four times in the top of the first inning on Saturday, the Kernels offense got going right away on Sunday afternoon. To lead off the game, Noah Miller ripped a double, and Emmanuel Rodriguez walked to put two on with no one out. After a strikeout, Miller and Rodriguez pulled off a double steal, both getting into scoring position for Jorel Ortega, who put the Kernels on the board with a two-run single. Two batters later, Andrew Cossetti crushed an RBI triple to score Ortega all the way from first to put the Kernels up 3-0.

Cedar Rapids added another early run in the second. Singles by Carson McCusker and Kyler Fedko opened the inning, putting a runner in scoring position for Miller, who picked up his second hit in as many innings, this one for an RBI to lift Cedar Rapids up 4-0.

In the bottom of the third inning, South Bend grabbed a run back. To lead off the inning, Luis Verdugo belted a solo home run to get the Cubs on the board and make it 4-1.

After South Bend notched its first tally, the Kernels got the run back right away. To lead off the top of the fourth inning, Jose Salas ripped a double off the wall; Salas then stole third base and took home on a wild pitch to self-produce a run and put Cedar Rapids back up by four at 5-1.

In the seventh, Fedko led off the inning and crushed a home run well over the wall in left to give the Kernels their largest lead of the day at 6-1.

In the eighth, Cedar Rapids tallied on one more insurance run. A walk and a single put two on, and a wild pitch put them both in scoring position for Kala’i Rosario, who picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to open the lead to 7-1, the score which would be the final.

On the mound, Kyle Jones put together one of his best starts of the season. The right-hander picked up the win in his third quality start of the year, going 6.0 innings, allowing just one run on four hits with seven strikeouts compared to just one walk. Behind him, Malik Barrington pitched a pair of perfect innings in the seventh and eighth frames, and A.J. Labas spun a 1-2-3 ninth to lock down the Kernels victory.

The win for Cedar Rapids (75-45) clinches its 13th series win of the season, as it takes four of the six games in South Bend (51-67) to improve to 30 games of .500 for the first time since 2013. The Kernels are back in action on Tuesday as they open the final homestand of the season against Lake County at 6:35.