TinCaps Pop Kernels Late In 9-1 Loss

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Fort Wayne TinCaps earned a come-from-behind victory in colossal fashion on Thursday night, scoring nine runs over the final two innings and defeating the Cedar Rapids Kernels, 9-1. The TinCaps had just two base runners over the first seven innings, both of which were subsequently wiped out by double plays, prior to the late-game rally which saw 18 batters come to the plate in the eighth and ninth innings.

Fort Wayne (15-11, 46-50) was flummoxed by Cedar Rapids (8-18, 40-56) starter Cam Bedrosian. The righthander, who had pitched no more than six innings in any outing this year, tossed seven frames, setting the side down in order five times. Only Lee Orr and Travis Whitmore picked up base hits against the son of 1987 NL Cy Young award winner Steve Bedrosian.

TinCaps starter Adys Portillo nearly matched Bedrosian, allowing one run on four hits over six innings. The lone Kernels run came in the first, as Portillo walked two batters, the first of which would score on an RBI single by Andy Workman. Portillo later retired ten batters in a row from the second through the fifth.

Once Bedrosian exited the game in favor of reliever R.J. Alvarez, the Fort Wayne offense sprung to life. Yeison Asencio led off the seventh with a double, and came in to score on an Austin Hedges RBI single. With the bases loaded and one out, Kyle Gaedele grounded to third baseman Kevin Moesquit, who committed a crucial error. His throw home sailed over catcher Zach Wright, which allowed two Fort Wayne runs to score. Tyler Stubblefield connected on a two-run double with two outs, and came in to score himself on a throwing error by Wright to cap the six-run frame.

In the ninth, Asencio and Duanel Jones led off with back-to-back singles, and Whitmore plated Asencio with a groundout, making it 7-1 in favor of the TinCaps. Gaedele played two more runs on a single, setting the final margin at 9-1.

Alvarez took the loss, surrendering six runs, but only one earned run. Dennis O’Grady (3-0) earned the win for the TinCaps, pitching a scoreless seventh inning.

Fort Wayne will attempt a three-game sweep on Friday night. The scheduled starters are Colin Rea for the TinCaps and Austin Wood for the Kernels. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 eastern.