Kernels drop home opener

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids Kernels are telling fans to “Party at the Park” this baseball season. They used the motto a few times over the public-address system last night.

Someone apparently neglected to inform the team about doing its part to further that whole thing along.

The Kernels were blanked after the first inning and held hitless the final five in a 3-1 loss to Wisconsin before 1,753 folks on opening night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Not much to party about here.

“I don't know. We were doing well for awhile there, but I think maybe our energy dropped a little bit,” said Travis Witherspoon.

It looks like it's going to be fun to watch Witherspoon roam center field this summer. He homered to dead center in the top of the first inning, singled and stole a base in the third and walked and stole two bases in the eighth.

He was a 10-homer, 20 stolen-base guy last season in Rookie ball.

But Cedar Rapids managed only two other singles, stranding the bases loaded in the eighth to drop to 2-3 this young Midwest League season. The club split four games last weekend in Peoria.

“I think we've played pretty well so far,” said returning catcher Carlos Ramirez. “Just our timely hitting needs to come along a little better. That's the biggest thing. Our pitching is holding up well, our relievers are doing well. Coming from Arizona to up here, it's hot and cold. But I think we're adjusting pretty well.”

Starting pitcher Brian Diemer overcame control issues to keep his team in it, thanks in part to a unique umpiring decision in the third. Diemer walked the bases loaded with one out, then plunked cleanup hitter Jason Rogers in the arm.

But plate umpire Nate White ruled Rogers failed to attempt getting out of the way of the pitch and sent him back to the box to hit. He popped out, and Diemer escaped without allowing any runs.

Miscommunication on a flyball to left-center that dropped for an errors in the fifth actually gave Wisconsin (3-2) what turned out to be the winning run. Again, not exactly an auspicious home debut for the Kernels.

But, again, it's way early. The teams play the second game of their four-game series tonight at 6:35.

“So far, I've seen a team with a lot of talent and a lot of potential that's going to win a lot of games this season,” Witherspoon said. “It's early in the year, and we're still trying to figure each other out and get that chemistry going. But I definitely see a team that's got a chance to win a lot of games this year and make the playoffs.”