Cedar Rapids Kernels

Kuresa delivers in clutch for Kernels

Tyler Kuresa glanced into the Kernels dugout in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday afternoon to see if Manager Jake Mauer was going to replace him with a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded and one out.

Mauer stuck with Kuresa and everyone was glad he did.

Kuresa hit a single up the middle to snap a 4-4 tie and give Cedar Rapids a 5-4 victory over Beloit before 3,034 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Kuresa is a left-handed hitter and Beloit had a left-handed pitcher on the mound, so Mauer could have played the odds and used a right-handed batter in that situation. But Kuresa already had two hits Sunday and Mauer elected to stay with his 22-year-old first baseman, who has bounced around this season between Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers, Elizabethton and back to Cedar Rapids.

Kuresa was glad Mauer had confidence in him to deliver.

"It made me feel really good, especially with a lefty on the mound," said Kuresa. "He had gotten the best of me the at-bat before, so it felt really good. I'm just glad I could come through."

Jose Torres gave Kuresa a 1-1 fastball that he could hit. It was a sharp single up the middle, driving in Tanner English with the winning run from third base.

"I'm glad I was the one at the plate," said Kuresa. "I tried to do the best with the opportunity and I got lucky, I guess. When the infield is in, a lot of times if you just hit it hard you're going to get it through."

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Gibbons pays price for Kernels victory

Cedar Rapids pitcher Sam Gibbons was easy to spot in the Kernels clubhouse after the game Saturday night.

He was the lanky Australian with a red blotch on the upper part of his chest near his heart, thanks to a scary line drive that deflected off his body during the second inning against Beloit.

Gibbons, stunned by the shot, had the presence of mind to chase the ball and get the out at first base before getting a chance to catch his breath. "I just wanted to get the out, I guess," he said.

Gibbons bravely stayed in the game and pitched six strong innings as the Kernels blanked the Snappers, 3-0, before a fireworks night crowd of 4,118 at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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Kernels stumble against Snappers, 13-7

Baseball is a challenging game at any professional level, but it gets much tougher when you give up five unearned runs in the first inning before anyone on your team gets their hands on a bat.

That was the hole the Cedar Rapids Kernels dug themselves into Friday night as the Beloit Snappers struck for a five-spot in the opening stanza en route to a 13-7 thumping of the Kernels in front of 3,347 fans on “Minions Night” at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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Red-hot English powers Kernels

Cedar Rapids Kernels center fielder Tanner English entered this week with just two home runs on the season, but he’s showing his power this week, even if it’s not what his coaches are asking him to do.

English hit his third home run in the past four games Thursday night, contributing to the Kernels’ 6-5 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, as 2,457 fans saw the locals complete a sweep of their three game series with the Rattlers at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

English nearly didn’t get the chance to use his bat Thursday.

He dove for a line drive off the bat of Wisconsin’s Greg McCall in the top of the first inning, came up short and crashed face-first in the left-center field turf. After taking several minutes to get the bleeding around his nose stopped, English returned to center field.

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