Kernels fall, 6-5, to Quad Cities on unlucky 'Superstition Night'

By Douglas Miles, The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Part of baseball's charm lies within its superstitions.

Hall of Famer Wade Boggs ate fried chicken and fielded exactly 150 ground balls before every game. Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell, another Hall of Famer, refused to use a bat with his own name on it. Former Chicago Cub pitcher Turk Wendell, the crown prince of baseball superstitions, ate licorice on the mound and brushed his teeth between innings.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels staged their own Friday the 13th “Superstition Night” night, but could not drum up enough ninth-inning luck in falling to the Quad Cities River Bandits, 6-5, before 803 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium. It was the first back-to-back losses for Cedar Rapids this season.

“I thought our energy level was kind of a little down tonight,” said Kernels Manager Jamie Burke. “But they picked it up a little bit towards the end of the game, so that's what you're looking for. What you do at the finish of a game.”

Trailing 6-3 to start the bottom of the ninth, the Kernels strung together four consecutive one-out singles, the last by Kaleb Cowart, driving in two runs to pull within one. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Frazier Hall was intentionally walked to load the bases. Needing a base hit to potentially win the game, Ryan Jones struck out swinging and Abel Baker bounced out to first to end the comeback attempt.

Kernels starter Ryan Crowley (0-1), a lefty from the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, was touched for seven hits and four runs in five innings, including two solo home runs off the bat of Quad Cities catcher Juan Castillo. In all, Cedar Rapids pitchers gave up 13 hits on, yes, Friday the 13th.

“I've got to give credit to their hitters also, they swung the bats well tonight”, Burke said. “They're a good hitting team.”

The notoriously unlucky date got off to an ominous start when the Kernels learned they would be without two of their regulars. Infielder Trevor Hairgrove was nursing a jammed thumb he suffered in Thursday's game, while outfielder Gary Mitchel is battling a case of strep throat. Both should return Saturday.

The Kernels will try their luck again Saturday at 5.