Kernels try to stay cool ... and win

CEDAR RAPIDS - It was a Pedialyte day for Jeremy Cruz and Marcus Nidiffer. In fact, this might be a Pedialyte weekend.

“Yeah, me and Cruz started that not too long ago,” Nidiffer said before his Cedar Rapids Kernels beat Wisconsin, 8-5, Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. “It tastes like a salty Gatorade.”

Pedialyte is a drink designed to rehydrate children when they have the flu and are suffering from excessive vomiting or diarrhea. Baseball players apparently use it, too, especially on those hot and humid dog days of summer.

Friday was definitely a dog day. And a Pedialyte day.

“The biggest key is getting hydrated,” said Cruz, who singled and scored the winning run on a Kevin Bass hit with two outs in the eighth. “Being from (Florida), I've been through it ... I've been through the cramping and seen guys have serious cramps. (Heat) can cause a lot of injuries if you're not cautious about it. So we try and keep up with our Pedialyte. Me and Marcus chug a Pedialyte before the game.”

Players are advised to drink lots of water or Gatorade during the day. Keep in mind, they've got early work before the game, as well as batting and fielding practice.

They're in the sun a lot.

Trainer Eric Munson has a tub in his training room that he can fill with cold water for guys. During games, a cooler is filled with Ammonia towels to keep players refreshed.

“If you don't take care of your body, (the heat) tends to catch up to you,” said Nidiffer. “Humidity just changes the whole thing. It just takes all the energy right out of you. Being a catcher, that's what you need a lot of ... You've got to be energetic, you've got to control the tempo of the game.”

“I'd much rather deal with the hot weather than the cold weather,” said Cruz, who is from Florida. “When a guy is throwing 90-plus on your hands, it's not fun to get jammed in cold weather.”

Wes Hatton, Carlos Lugo and Ricky Alvarez had three hits each for the Kernels (3-5 second half), who had 16 as a team. Hatton had a pair of triples, driving in two big insurance runs in the eighth with his second three-bagger.

Cedar Rapids rallied from an early 5-2 hole. The teams play again Saturday night at 6:35.