Beloit Sky Carp can't complete comeback in 5-4 loss to Cedar Rapids Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa—The Beloit Sky Carp nearly erased a five-run deficit with a big seventh inning before the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ bullpen took charge.

Gabriel Yanez and Ricardo Velez allowed just two hits and no runs over the final 1 1-3 innings to help the Kernels hang on for the 5-4 win over the Sky Carp in Tuesday night’s series opener.

A bullpen day for Beloit, Josh White threw two scoreless innings to start before Holt Jones came in and, after a clean third, allowed a two-run single from Misael Urbina. Rubel Cespedes smacked a two-run homer off Yeuris Jimenez, who also allowed a one-run single in the fifth.

But the Sky Carp made a run at the lead in the seventh. Brett Roberts started the frame with a double and scored two outs later on Andrew Fernandez’s double to left. Johnny Olmstead walked and Mark Coley II hit his third homer with Beloit with his three-run blast to right-center.

Yanez came in and allowed a Yiddi Cappe single and Jake Thompson double before getting Torin Montgomery to ground out and end the danger.

Thompson went 3-for-5 while Coley and Cappe each had two hits for the Sky Carp. Cespedes, Danny De Andrade and Urbina all had two for Cedar Rapids, which was outhit 10-9.

Kyle Crigger threw two one-hit innings for Beloit while Evan Taylor threw a clean eighth. Andrew Morris earned the win for the Kernels after going six innings and allowing five hits, a walk but no runs with five strikeouts.

KERNELS 5, SKY CARP 4

Beloit;000;000;400;—;4;10;1

Cedar Rapids;000;230;00;—;5;9;1

BELOIT (ab-r-h-rbi) — Coley, cf, 4-1-2-3, Cappe, 3b, 5-0-2-0, Thompson, dh, 5-0-3-0, Montgomery, 1b, 4-0-1-0, Roberts, rf, 4-1-1-0, Zamora, 2b, 4-0-0-0, Caballero, lf, 2-0-0-0, Fernandez, c, 4-1-1-1, Olmstead, ss, 2-1-0-0, Santiago, ph, 1-0-0-0. Totals: 35-4-10-4.

CEDAR RAPIDS (ab-r-h-rbi) — Keaschall, 2b, 3-0-0-0, Gonzalez, rf, 3-1-1-0, Cespedes, 1b, 3-1-2-2, Olivar, c, 4-0-0-0, De Andrade, ss, 4-2-2-0, Salas, 3b, 3-1-1-1, Urbina, lf, 4-0-2-1, Baez, dh, 3-0-1-0, Garry, cf, 4-0-0-0. Totals: 31-5-9-4.

E: Fernandez, Morris. DP: Beloit 2, CR 1. LOB: Beloit 8, CR 8. SB: De Andrade 2, Salas 2, Urbina 2. CS: Cappe. 2B: Fernandez, Thompson, Gonzalez. HR: Coley, Cespedes.