13's unlucky for Kernels

Cedar Rapids Kernels pitchers nearly threw a perfect game Thursday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. They were just one out shy of the feat.

The Kernels ended up losing in 13 innings to Great Lakes, 6-3.

You say those three sentences don't compute? You need an explanation? Here it goes.

Kernels starter Manuarys Correa and relievers Andrew Taylor, Vladimir Veras combined to retire 26 straight Loons hitters from the fourth inning through the 11th. Great Lakes scored three times in the first and won the game in the 13th on Jamie Pedroza's three-run home run.

"Really? I didn't realize that. Wow," said Kernels Manager Bill Mosiello of the 26 straight Great Lakes outs. "I was having a tough enough time worrying about us trying to score a run."

And there's the rub. Cedar Rapids (20-20) was all but handed this one and refused to take it. Great Lakes (22-18) goes almost a whole ballgame without a baserunner, makes four errors ... and wins.

"That was embarrassing," Mosiello said. "So many chances, but running the bases stupid. That's as bad as you can play an offensive game. They make four errors, and they weren't just spread out. They made errors that usually cost games.

"They tried to give it to us, they have more errors than runs, and we don't execute when it counts."

Where do we start? A double and throwing error on a sacrifice bunt put runners on the corners with no one out in the eighth, but the Kernels don't score. That was thanks primarily to Alexi Amarista getting doubled off first on a Roberto Lopez line-drive out.

The bases are loaded in the ninth with one out, and the Kernels don't score. That was thanks primarily to a fouled-off squeeze attempt by Dwayne Bailey, who ends up grounding into an inning-ending 4-2-3 double play.

The leadoff man gets on in the 12th, and the Kernels don't score. More foibles here, with pinch runner Ryan Groth getting doubled off first after Bailey pops to short.

"Embarrassing," Mosiello repeated. "You're a poorly coached team when you do stuff like that, I'll tell you that."

The Kernels even came out smelling like a rose one time when their baserunning was questionable. Tyson Auer, who went 3-for-5 with a walk, was picked off first with two outs in the fifth but made it to second when the pickoff throw eluded the first baseman.

Auer tried to high-tail it all the way to third on the play but wiped out head first after rounding second. All but out for a second time, Auer ended up scoring when first baseman Austin Gallagher threw way high past second base and into left-center field.

"All the guys were pretty rowdy (teasing me)," Auer said. "That was one of the funniest moments I've ever had on the baseball field. I've never laughed so hard in my life."

By the end of the day, it was no laughing matter. The Loons and Kernels play the final game of their three-game series Friday night at 6:35.