Wild pitch dooms Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids Kernels are hanging on to their playoff hopes by a fingernail and played a team Saturday night that apparently had a pair of cuticle scissors in hand.

A wild pitch in the 10th inning scored two runs that were the difference in Kane County's come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Kernels before 4,483 fans at Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels (20-28) fell back to five games behind Clinton for the final available second-half playoff spot in the Midwest League's Western Division with 22 to go. A tough, tough loss to take coming off an exhilarating win Friday night at Clinton.

Jovan Pickett led off the Kane County 10th with an infield single up the middle against losing relief pitcher Beau Brooks (0-1). Angel Franco walked, then Geulin Beltre dropped a bunt that crashing first baseman Ricky Alvarez fielded but double-clutched before throwing late to third.

Brooks struck out .345-hitting Brian Fletcher swinging on a 3-2 pitch for the first out. Manny Correa was brought on to face Cougars cleanup hitter Brett Eibner, throwing him two straight curveballs, the second of which was well wide of the plate and went to the backstop.

Kernels catcher Francis Larson could not locate the wild pitch, allowing both Pickett and Franco to score. The Kernels got one of those runs back in the bottom of the 10th, stranding the tying runner on first.

Kernels pitcher Brian Diemer had a five-hit shutout through seven innings, thanks to a sinking fastball that induced 13 outs on the ground. Cedar Rapids took a 2-0 lead in the fifth on a Rolando Gomez run-scoring single to right-center and an ensuing RBI grounder by Jeremy Cruz on which he reached via error.

An obviously tiring Diemer left with runners on the corners and two outs in the eighth. Donn Roach came on to relieve him and gave up Brian Fletcher's game-tying two-run double to the gap in left-center.