Amazing rally gives Kernels playoff sweep over Peoria

A team of destiny?

“It seems like it,” said Matt Crawford, after his walk-off hit by pitch gave the Cedar Rapids Kernels a crazy 9-8 win over Peoria last night at Memorial Stadium. “If we think it, then we are.”

There's a lot of people thinking it the way the Kernels swept this best-of-3 Midwest League playoff series.

Cedar Rapids won Game 1 Wednesday night in Peoria thanks to a 10th-inning strikeout wild pitch and wild pitch on an attempted intentional walk. They won Thursday night with a two-run ninth that consisted of four walks, a wild pitch and Crawford getting plunked in the ankle.

“We've got a long way to go, but, yeah, it's starting to look like it,” said Kernels third baseman Jon Townsend of that destiny thing.

“Amazing,” said Kernels Manager Bill Mosiello. “This is a resilient club. We did everything we could to try and lose this thing.”

The Kernels trailed this one with two outs and none on in the bottom of the seventh, 8-3, but manufactured four runs to draw within a run. Peoria closer Chris Huseby, who walked just 10 in 54 regular-season innings, threw eight straight balls to begin the ninth, putting Roberto Lopez and Gabe Jacobo on base.

Huseby settled down to retire the next two guys, making it look like there would be a deciding Game 3. But Darwin Perez walked on a 3-2 pitch and Townsend walked on five pitches to tie the game.

Crawford took a ball and a strike, then took a slider off his right ankle, scoring pinch runner Dwayne Bailey to set off a dugout-clearing celebration. The 2,518 in attendance also went nuts.

“The pain, we'll find out how much it'll hurt tomorrow,” Crawford said. “The adrenalin is still rushing.”

The Kernels face Burlington in the best-of-3 Western Division finals, a rematch from 2008. The first game is Saturday night at 6:35 in Burlington, with Game 2 at Memorial Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 2. A deciding Game 3 would be at 6:35 Monday night in Cedar Rapids.

“It's a testament to the way this team has fought all year,” Townsend said. “We get down, but we find a way to get back in the game.”