Rally makes for fun night in Kernels' dugout

CEDAR RAPIDS – The Cedar Rapids Kernels nearly threw one away Monday, but hung around long enough to allow Clinton a miscue of their own.

After the LumberKings scored two runs on a sixth-inning Jose Berrios wild pitch and subsequent throwing error to third by catcher Tyler Grimes, the Kernels rallied with two runs in the bottom of the eighth to sweep the series from Clinton with a 4-3 win before 2,026 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“When we fell behind, it's the same feel in the dugout, the same look,” Kernels Manager Jake Mauer said. “That was fun. Shake some hands, it was fun.”

Max Kepler led off the eighth and reached base when Clinton first baseman Taylor Ard could not short-hop his bouncer down the first-base line. After a Travis Harrison single and a sacrifice bunt from Grimes, Clinton reliever Jochi Ogando (0-2) threw a wild pitch of his own to score Kepler with the tying run, and a soft flare from Joel Licon to the drawn-in infield scored Harrison for the 4-3 lead.

“That's the nice thing, to get production from the bottom of the order,” Mauer said.

Kepler got the scoring started for the Kernels with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning off Clinton starter Rigoberto Garcia.

“I was battling his fastballs up in the 90s, then all of a sudden he throws an 84 (mph) fastball and I just turned on it,” Kepler said. “It was surprising that he took off his fastball, because he was beating me with it.”

Berrios gave up five hits and three runs in six innings. Reliever Alex Muren (6-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, while Brian Gilbert, a seventh-round draft pick in June's amateur draft out of Seton Hall, picked up his second save following a loss in his debut.

“My first appearance didn't go the way I wanted to, but bouncing back was key,” Gilbert said. “I'm just going to take it and run with it as long as I can.”

Cedar Rapids (65-39, 25-11 second half) has won four in a row and 12 of 16. They begin a road trip Tuesday at Burlington.