Kernels walk their way to 5-3 win at Clinton

CLINTON - Not every win has to be a masterpiece, and Monday night's 5-3 victory over the Clinton LumberKings at Ashford University Stadium definitely wasn't one for the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

The Kernels were limited to just three hits but took advantage of nine walks and four errors to salvage the final game of this three-game series. Cedar Rapids (53-33, 13-5 second half) has Tuesday off, then begins a six-game homestand against Dayton and Bowling Green.

Dalton Hicks had two more RBIs for the Kernels to increase his Midwest League-leading total to 79 in 83 games. His ninth-inning double to left-center scored J.D. Williams with an insurance run.

The Kernels scored twice in the sixth and once in the seventh to take a 4-3 lead, despite not getting a hit in either inning. Three walks and a pair of Clinton errors scored the sixth-inning runs, a walk and error on a sacrifice bunt scored the one in the seventh.

Steve Gruver (5-2) and Tyler Jones combined for fifth scoreless relief innings, with Gruver picking up the win and Jones his seventh save. With a plethora of mid-90s fastballs, Jones struck out four of the six men he faced.

Starting pitcher Jose Berrios had a second consecutive rough outing, giving up seven hits, four walks and three runs in four innings. He did strand two LumberKings on base in both the second and fourth innings and the bases loaded in the third.

Here is the game boxscore: