Mother Nature helped the Cedar Rapids Kernels defeat Kane County Monday night.

Ryan Eades played a big role, too.

Eades tossed six shutout innings as the Kernels clipped the Cougars, 1-0, in a Midwest League game that was called after six innings due to rain and a slippery field.

Eades (2-3, 3.42 ERA) struck out six batters, allowed only three singles and one walk.

He called it his best performance of the season, topping an 11-2 victory at Great Lakes in Midland, Mich., April 10 when he allowed one unearned run in seven innings.

"I felt like this outing was better than the one in Midland," he said. "I felt like I had better command of my pitches."

Eades struck out one batter in the first four innings, then fanned five guys in the last two frames with his change-up, curveball and fastball.

"I felt better as the game went on," he said. "I started mixing my pitches."

Eades credited Mitch Garver with calling a good game. "We just made it work," he said. "We were clicking."

Eades was touched for two hits and a walk in the first inning, but Kernels center fielder Jason Kanzler kept Kane County off the scoreboard by gunning down Yasiel Balaguert at the plate on a single to center. Balaguert tried to score from second base with two outs.

Kanzler also made a nifty sliding catch in right-center field.

"The defense played really good behind me," said Eades. "I just tried to pound the zone and let them make plays. And I was fortunate enough to get some strikeouts."

The Twins selected Eades in the second round of the 2013 draft after his junior year at LSU.

Kane County arrived in town with a 17-6 record, the best in the Midwest League, but the Kernels got the best of them and raised their record to 13-10 with a four-game winning streak.

"Eades looked really good," said Kernels Manager Jake Mauer. "He pitched extremely well. He didn't let the weather bother him. It was a well-pitched game.

"Mr. Eades was very good today, without a doubt."

It rained lightly in the early innings, then got heavier as the game went along. The home-plate umpire wanted to call a rain delay prior to the bottom of the fifth inning and waved Kane County off the field, but he changed his mind after consulting with Mauer and Kane County Manager Mark Johnson.

"I didn't think the field was that bad," said Mauer. "Their manager was OK with it."

Marc Lindsey, the home-plate umpire, called a delay after the third out was recorded in the bottom of the sixth and this time he stuck with his decision. Chad Christensen, on first base after being hit by a pitch, slipped while trying to run the bases on the third out, and that's when Lindsey called for the tarp.

They waited 55 minutes before calling it a night.

"It's kind of an iffy way to win a game, but I guess a win is a win," said Mauer. "It's kind of a cheap way to go about it, but I guess whatever works, works."

Christensen went 0-for-2, but the hit-by-pitch helped him reach base for the 15th straight game.

Eades said he did not have any trouble gripping the baseball on a wet night, but had some problems with his footwork on the mound despite the addition of diamond dry.

"It was not ideal conditions, but we had to deal with it and find a way to win," he said. "The dirt on the mound was sticking to my spikes, so it was hard to get a good grip when I'd go to land. I'd kind of slide a little bit."

Cedar Rapids scored the only run of the game in the second inning. Garver led off with a double into the right-field corner, advanced to third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bryan Haar.

The Kernels and Cougars are scheduled to meet again Tuesday night at 6:35, weather permitting.

KANE COUNTY (0): Hannemann, cf, 2 0 0 0, Penalver, ss, 3 0 0 0, Balaguert, rf, 3 0 1 0, Rogers, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Hankins, dh, 2 0 1 0, Remillard, c, 2 0 0 0, Lockhart, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Bote, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Martin, lf, 2 0 1 0. Totals 20 0 3 0.

KERNELS (1): Kanzler, cf, 3 0 0 0, Vavra, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Christensen, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Garver, c, 3 1 1 0, Larson, rf, 2 0 1 0, Haar, 3b, 1 0 0 1, Thomas, lf, 2 0 0 0, Wade, dh, 2 0 1 0, Vielma, ss, 2 0 0 0.

Kane County   000 000 - 0 3 0
Kernels           010 000 - 1 3 0

Blackburn, Amlung (6) and Remillard. Eades and Garver. W - Eades (2-3). L - Blackburn (1-2). 2B - Garver (6). T - 1:43. A - 1,752.