Cedar Rapids Kernels Baseball

Pair of 5s lead Kernels to win

GENEVA, Ill. – The Cedar Rapids Kernels scored five runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings and came from behind to beat the Kane County Cougars, 10-4, Monday night at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark.

The win was the Kernels' sixth in their last seven games. They hold a four-game lead over Quad Cities in the Western Division with 12 games left in the first half.

Kane County jumped out to a 4-0 lead.  Jeimer Candelario’s RBI single in the first inning put the Cougars up, 1-0.

The Cougars tallied three runs in the second inning. The inning was highlighted by a Reggie Golden solo home run to left field.

Kernels Manager Jake Mauer was ejected for arguing the call when Albert Almora was ruled safe on a stolen base at third in the frame.

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Goodrum put on DL; Licon joins Kernels

The Cedar Rapids Kernels announced Monday that infielder Niko Goodrum has been placed on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion and that infielder Joel Licon will join the Kernels from extended spring training.

The Twins selected Licon in the 25th round of the 2012 draft from Orange Coast College. He spent last season with the GCL Twins, where he hit .250 with two home runs and 21 RBI in 49 games.

Goodrum collided with Kane County catcher Wilson Contreras in a play at the plate in the third inning Sunday game and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. In 48 games for the Kernels, he is batting .270 with a home run, 28 RBIs, 12 doubles, three triples and five stolen bases in seven attempts.

Licon will join the Kernels in Geneva, Ill., and be available for the Kernels' 6:30 p.m. game Monday against the Kane County Cougars.

Kernels lose game, Goodrum

GENEVA, Ill. - The Cedar Rapids Kernels lost more than a game Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark.

A bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning brought home the winning run and ended the Kernels' five-game winning streak.

Earlier shortstop Niko Goodrum was removed from the field by ambulance after suffering a concussion in a homeplate collision. He is expected to miss at least the next seven days.

Kernels pitcher Tyler Jones walked Rock Shoulders, lifting Kane County to a 3-2 win.

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Hicks belts 2 homers, Kernels roll 15-2

GENEVA, Ill. - The Cedar Rapids Kernels stormed past the Kane County Cougars, 15-2, before 6,726 fans in a Midwest League game at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Saturday night.

The Kernels (35-19) won their fifth straight game. They collected 15 hits and were led by Dalton Hicks, who hit two home runs and drove in four runs.

The start of the game was delayed one hour and 18 minutes due to rain.

Tyler Grimes had three hits and scored four runs. Jeremias Pineda added a three-run homer. Niko Goodrum drove in three runs while J.D. Williams and Jorge Polanco had two RBIs.

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Berrios hurls Kernels past Kane County

GENEVA, Ill. - Jose Berrios was excellent, and the Cedar Rapids Kernels' offense scored early in a 5-2 win over the Kane County Cougars at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark on Friday evening.

The Kernels notched their fourth straight win. The game was played before a crowd of 8,441.

Berrios (4-2) allowed a single run and a season-low three hits in 5.2 innings for the win.  He struck out four and walked two.

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Ground crew gets the save in Kernels wins

Not rain, wind nor LumberKing could stop the Cedar Rapids Kernels Thursday night.

The Kernels outlasted a near-three hour rain delay midway through the first game of their doubleheader with Clinton and ultimately claimed a much-needed sweep with wins of 5-3 and 3-2.

A crowd of 1,651 patiently braved the elements at Veterans Memorial Stadium. They weren’t all there at the beginning, however.

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Kernels postponed; twinbill set for Thursday

The Cedar Rapids Kernels' game Wednesday against the Clinton LumberKings was postponed due to lightning and storms. The game will be made up on Thursday as part of a doubleheader, consisting of two 7-inning games, beginning at 4 p.m. with the gates opening at 3 p.m.

It’s a Z 102.9 Thirsty Thursday where 12 oz. draft beer, bottled soda and bottled water are just $2. Also, fans can get $1 off margaritas at the Hacienda Las Glorids/La Cantina Mexican Cart. It’s also Iowa Wrestling Night as the Kernels will honor Iowa Wrestling legends between games and the first 500 fans through the gates receive a free Iowa Wrestling T-shirt, thanks to Iowa 24/7/365 and Ironside Apparel.

Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.kernels.com or by calling the Kernels Ticket Office at 896-7560.

Kernels top Clinton, snap 6-game skid

Whether it was Manager Jake Mauer's closed door clubhouse meeting Monday night that did the trick or something else, the Cedar Rapids Kernels put an end to their six-game losing streak Tuesday with a convincing 9-4 win over the Clinton LumberKings before 1,006 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels have a recipe for success and almost every ingredient was present in Tuesday night's effort.

The Kernels are 26-9 when they score first. Tuesday night, they jumped ahead when catcher Tyler Grimes scored on a Byron Buxton double-play ground ball in the third inning.

The Kernels are 12-3 when they make no errors. The defense not only made no blunders, but came through with some sterling plays in the field.

Finally, the Kernels are 26-5 when they've scored at least four runs. They built a 7-0 lead after sending 10 hitters to the plate in the sixth inning and plating five runners. The long inning featured two-run home runs by Travis Harrison and J.D. Williams.

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Kernels lose 2 more games (and luggage)

New Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Hein Robb spent a good part of Monday on airplanes as he hustled into town from extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla.

Robb, a native of South Africa, arrived safely Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, his luggage got lost somewhere along the way from Fort Myers to Atlanta to Cedar Rapids.

"It figures," Kernels Manager Jake Mauer said with an ironic grin.

When things go wrong for a ballclub, even a new player's luggage gets misplaced on the day he's promoted to the Midwest League.

The struggling Kernels dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Burlington Bees on Memorial Day, 10-3 and 6-3, as their losing streak reached six games before 1,105 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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