Kernels lose for first time, in extras to Peoria

CEDAR RAPIDS - The dream is over. Dang it.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels won't be the first minor-league baseball team to finish the regular season a perfect 140-0. Add the popular text phrase 'LOL” or the blinking-eye emoticon there because, obviously it was never going to happen.

'We couldn't get it,” laughed Manager Jake Mauer, after his club suffered its first loss of the Midwest League season, 3-2, in 12 innings to Peoria Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Collin Radack scored from third base on a fielder's choice for the winning run, beating a throw home from Kernels first baseman Tyler Kuresa after he fielded a slow chopper off the bat of Andrew Sohn. The Kernels will have to 'settle” for a 6-1 start, which isn't bad.

Not bad at all.

They actually rallied late to send the game to extra innings, with Zack Granite singling in Tanner English from second base in the eighth inning. English looked like the proverbial dead duck at home, with Radack providing a strong throw to the plate ahead of him, only to have catcher Steve Bean unable to field the short hop.

Bean made up for that in the 10th by fielding an up-the-first-base-line Radack throw and diving back to the plate to tag Pat Kelly out. Granite singled through the right side with one away, with Mauer aggressive again in waving his baserunner around.

'We got it once,” he said. 'English probably should have been out. The guy made a not-so-bad throw … We try to force the issue there. We're going to push the envelope, especially when the options in your bullpen are dwindling. We had guys throw a bunch of pitches last night, so you've got to try and win it there.”

Trevor Hildenberger took the loss, though he threw well, giving the Kernels three innings of two-hit ball. Sam Clay shook off a shaky first Cedar Rapids appearance by throwing three shutout innings in relief of starter Mat Batts.

Clay walked three and gave up two runs in one-third of an inning Sunday in the home opener against Beloit.

'His breaking ball was better, he just looked more comfortable,” Mauer said. 'Maybe (with) his first game, he was a little excited. He looked kind of tentative. But there wasn't any of that tonight.”

Batts was good, giving up just four hits and a pair of runs (one earned) in his six innings. This was really more about the Kernels not doing much offensively for the first time this young season.

They came in hitting .302 and averaging seven runs but were held in check by Peoria starting pitcher Luis Perdomo. The Kernels had trailed only for half an inning total in their previous six games, but played from behind the entire way here, with the Chiefs scoring an unearned right away in the top of the first inning.

Perhaps it was no coincidence the offense scuffled without shortstop Nick Gordon in the lineup. The number one draft pick was given his first day off Wednesday.

'We'll get him back in there tomorrow,” Mauer said. 'He's a young kid, probably not going to play more than eight (games) in a row, at least to start here. We'll see how it goes. In infield yesterday, he looked lethargic a little bit. A little tired. He swung the bat good in the game, obviously. But if you wait for kids to come in and tell you they're tired, it's probably too late.”

The teams play again Thursday night at 6:35.

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