Beloit Sky Carp drop fifth-straight game in 7-3 loss to Cedar Rapids Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The month of June for the Beloit Sky Carp has resembled what it’s like to take a trip to Six Flags Great America.

The Sky Carp have been on a roller coaster journey as a five-game losing streak earlier in the month gave way to a nine-game winning streak.

Now, Beloit is in the midst of a dip as it fell 7-3 to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Sunday to lose its fifth-straight game. The Sky Carp lost their six-game series at Rise 2 Greatness Field 5-1.

While it wasn’t the greatest weekend for Beloit, it was a fine three days for Josh Zamora, who blasted three home runs between Friday and Sunday. He had four total homes against the Kernels, who he went 10-for-24 against with seven runs scored and six runs batted in.

Beloit’s Ike Buxton took the start from the mound and, after issuing a pair of walks to start the game, kept it a scoreless first frame with the help of catcher Cameron Barstad, who caught Payton Eeles trying to steal second.

Buxton wasn’t so lucky in the second. He hit Jay Harry to start the inning before getting two quick outs. But Misael Urbina laced a single back up the middle and Jose Salas singled into center field to make it 1-0.

Eeles drew his second walk of the game and Ricardo Olivar cleared the bases with his three-run double to right that gave the Kernels a 4-0 lead.

Rayne Doncon reached on a throwing error to put runners on the corners but Buxton got Kevin Maitan to strike out and end the big inning.

The Sky Carp answered in the fourth when Jorge Caballero walked off starter Christian MacLeod with one out, moved to third after Sam Praytor sent a double into left and scored an out later on Tony Bullard’s RBI infield single.

Beloit moved within one run in the fifth after Johnny Olsmtead and Zamora hit back-to-back one-out home runs. Olmstead sent the first pitch he saw over the left-field fence for his sixth bomb of the season while Zamora replicated him, taking the first pitch of his at-bat over the wall in left field for his 16th homer of the season.

Caballero doubled but a fly out ended the Sky Carp’s rally.

But the Kernels put some distance between themselves and Beloit in the sixth. Augstin Ruiz drew a leadoff walk against Ignacio Feliz and an out later Salas reached on a bunt single. Eeles walked to load the bases and Olivar had his second RBI double, this time scoring two, to make it 6-3.

Doncon’s RBI bloop single into center field in the eighth upped it to 7-3.

Jarrett Whorff threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen for Cedar Rapids while A.J. Labas tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to help the Kernels clinch the series victory.

Josh Ekness threw 1 2-3 innings of hitless relief for Beloit while Buxton took his sixth loss of the season as he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts in four frames.

Olmstead had two hits for Beloit while Olivar had three for the Kernels.

Beloit returns to ABC Supply Stadium for a split six-game series with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

The Sky Carp will play Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at home, all games starting at 6:35 p.m. and featuring postgame fireworks, before traveling to Appleton Thursday through Saturday to finish up the series.

• FRIDAY’S RECAP: Zamora hit a pair of homers but it wasn’t enough as Beloit fell to the Kernels 7-6.

Zamora’s two-run blast made it 2-0 in the first and his solo bomb in the third gave the Sky Carp a 4-2 lead. Olmstead’s RBI double upped it to 5-2 but Cedar Rapids’ Olivar drew a bases-loaded walk to tie it at six in the ninth and Gabriel Gonzalez smacked a walk-off sacrifice fly to left.

Mark Coley, Olmstead, Zamora and Caballero all had two hits for Beloit, who outhit the Kernels 12-7.

Karson Milbrandt surrendered four runs on four hits in five innings in his start for the Sky Carp.

• SATURDAY’S RECAP: Zamora and Santiago each had RBI singles for Beloit but Cedar Rapids hit four homers in a 4-2 win.

Doncon, Urbina, Ruiz and Olivar all hit solo homers for the Kernels, who jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the third inning.

Caballero, Bullard and Osiris Johnson all had two hits for Beloit, which again outhit Cedar Rapids, 9-7, despite the loss.

Thomas White allowed three earned runs on four hits while striking out seven in four innings in his start.

• SUNDAY’S BOXSCORE:

KERNELS 7, SKY CARP 3

Beloit 000 120 000 — 3 7 1

CR 040 002 01 — 7 9 0

BELOIT (ab-r-h-rbi) — Coley, cf, 5-0-0-0, Olsmtead, ss, 4-1-2-1, Zamora, 2b, 4-1-1-1, Santiago, 1b, 3-0-0-0, Caballero, dh, 2-1-1-0, Praytor, c, 4-0-1-0, DeLeo, lf, 4-0-0-0, Bullard, 3b, 4-0-1-1, Johnson, rf, 4-0-1-0. Totals: 34-3-7-3.

CR (ab-r-h-rbi) — Eeles, 2b, 2-1-0-0, Olivar, dh, 4-0-3-5, Doncon, ss, 5-0-1-1, Maitan, 1b, 5-0-0-0, Harry, 3b, 3-1-0-0, Baez, c, 4-0-1-0, Ruiz, rf, 3-1-0-0, Urbina, lf, 4-2-2-0, Salas, cf, 3-2-2-1. Totals: 33-7-9-7.

E: Bullard. LOB: Beloit 7, CR 9. CS: Eeles. 2B: Omstead, Praytor, Caballero, Johnson, Olivar 2. HR: Olmstead (6), Zamora (16).

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): Beloit, Buxton (L,2-6,4.0-5-4-4-3-3), Feliz (1.1-2-2-2-2-3), Ekness (1.2-0-0-0-0-2), Taylor (1.0-2-1-1-1-1-). CR, MacLeod (W,2-1,5.0-6-3-3-3-6), Whorff (3.0-1-0-0-0-4), Labas (1..0-0-0-0-0-0).

WP: Buxton, Feliz. HBP: Harry (by Buxton). T: 2:34. Att: 2,938.