Cedar Rapids Kernels

Kernels sunk by Lake County

EASTLAKE, Ohio - The Lake County Captains scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 3-3 tie and defeat the Cedar Rapids Kernels, 6-3, before 2,430 fans at Classic Park in Ohio Wednesday afternoon.

Both clubs had only five hits in the game, but the Captains made theirs count.

Tanner English and T.J. White had RBIs for the Kernels. English scored two runs and had two stolen bases, giving him 37 steals for the campaign.

Felix Jorge was touched for three runs in six innings. Jared Wilson (5-4) surrendered all three runs in the eighth inning and took the loss.

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Anderson saves Kernels in Ohio

EASTLAKE, Ohio - Nick Anderson wiggled out of a jam in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night to save the Cedar Rapids Kernels in a 5-4 victory over Lake County before 2,720 fans in Ohio.

The Captains had runners on first and third with nobody out in the ninth inning, needing one run to tie the game and two runs to claim a victory, but Anderson retired three straight batters and stranded both runners on base.

Anderson, who recently joined the Kernels, also pitched a scoreless eighth inning to collect his first save. Keaton Steele (4-3) allowed three earned runs in six innings and got the victory.

The Kernels raised their record to 67-47, climbing 20 games over the .500 mark for the first time this season.

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LeBlanc handles any task - including gators

When you ask ballplayers about their outside interests, it’s not unusual for them to express an interest in hunting. In that regard, Kernels pitcher Randy LeBlanc fits in with the crowd.

It’s when you ask what he hunts that LeBlanc begins to vary from the norm.

He’ll tell you he spent most of his offseason fishing and duck hunting, with a little deer hunting thrown in. Although, “my dad does more deer hunting than I do,” he said.

After a pause, he added the kicker.

“I’ve been gator hunting a few times. A couple of years ago, my cousin got a tag and we got one that was 10 feet.“

As it turns out, LeBlanc can handle an alligator or any role on the Kernels pitching staff.

LeBlanc made his first start of the season Sunday afternoon and tossed five shutout innings in a 4-0 victory over Bowling Green before 2,164 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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Kernels cut Kuresa; Paul joins team

The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Minnesota Twins announced Sunday that outfielder Chris Paul will join the Kernels from Elizabethton and first baseman Tyler Kuresa has been released from the Kernels roster.

The Twins selected Paul in the sixth round of the 2015 draft from the University of California. In 21 games at Elizabethton he hit .302 with three home runs and 16 RBIs. He also spent three seasons with the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League.

Kuresa hit .204 for the Kernels in 56 games with a home run and 18 RBIs.