Beloit Sky Carp blast two homers in eighth to break scoreless tie, hang on for 3-1 win in opener

Joe Mack broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth, and Torin Montgomery followed that up with a two-run shot with two outs to lift the Beloit Sky Carp to a 3-1 win over Cedar Rapids in their season opener at ABC Supply Stadium in Beloit.

Edgar Sanchez picked up the win on the mound after pitching the top of the inning. Beloit starter Karson Milbrandt worked five innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out five. Holt Jones also threw two clean innings for the Sky Carp.

Mack also had a double to go with his home run, and Yiddi Cappe went 2 for 4 and was the Beloit player on base when Montgomery went deep.

Kernels pitchers Andrew Morris, A.J. Labas and Jordan Carr matched their Sky Carp counterparts for much of the night before Mack and Montgomery got to Carr in the eighth.

Cedar Rapids put two on with one out in the top of the ninth, and Jose Salas drove in a run to cut the Kernels' deficit to 3-1 and put the tying run on base. Jay Harry came up next, and Josh White induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the game and pick up the save for the Sky Carp.

BELOIT 3, CEDAR RAPIDS 1

Cedar Rapids;000;000;001;—;1;5;0

Beloit;000;000;03X;—;3;9;1

Leading hitters — Gonzalez (CR) 2x4, Mack (B) 2x4, Cappe (B) 2x4, Barstad (B) 2x4. 2B — Urbina (CR), Mack (B), Santiago (B), Barstad (B). HR — Mack (B), Montgomery (B).

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — CR: Morris (4-3-0-0-1-6), Labas (2-1-0-0-0-5), Carr (L, 0-1, 1 2/3-5-3-3-0-3), Velez (1/3-0-0-0-0-0). B: Milbrandt (5-2-0-0-1-5), Jones (2-0-0-0-0-2), Sanchez (W, 1-0, 1-1-0-0-0-1), White (S, 1, 1-2-1-1-1-0).