Whitecaps Explode for 13 Runs, Take Series Finale 13-1

Cedar Rapids, IA – The West Michigan offense scored for the first time in the fourth inning, a did not stop Sunday, pushing 13 runs past home plate to win the series finale 13-1 and to split the set with the Kernels 3-3.

After three scoreless frames by Cedar Rapids' starter Jaylen Nowlin, Roberto Campos opened up the scoring for West Michigan in the fourth, lifting a ball high into the wind in right field that carried over the fence, a three-run blast to make it 3-0.

With Nowlin out of the game in the top of the fifth inning, the Whitecaps tallied on seven runs in the frame. With runners on second and third and two outs in the inning, Steele Walker ripped a single up the middle, scoring both runners to stretch the lead to 5-0. After a Campos single and a Chris Meyers walk, the bases were loaded for Justice Bigbie, who crushed a Grand Slam, making it 9-0. The next batter, Luis Garcia, made it 10-0 going back-to-back with Bigbie belting a home run to right.

In the sixth, the Whitecaps added two more runs on a Steele Walker two-run triple extending it to a 12-0 contest. It would go to 13-0 with an Izaac Pacheco RBI single in the top of the seventh inning.

The Kernels avoided the third shutout of the series in the bottom of the ninth inning. After a Misael Urbina walk, Jose Salas notched his first extra-base hit of the year with a double to right, placing runners at second and third. Two batters later, Jefferson Morales scored Urbina on a ground out, making the score 13-1 which would be the final.

The loss is the second in a row for Cedar Rapids (9-11) to West Michigan (12-9) as the two sides split the season series 3-3 for the second straight year. The Kernels open up a 12-game road trip on Tuesday in South Bend, a 6:05 first pitch with Jordan Carr on the mound.