Metro Sports Report

English delivers in clutch for Kernels

Tanner English’s July at the plate had not been worth celebrating so far, with just one hit in the month going into the Kernels’ game Monday night against Beloit.

The Cedar Rapids center fielder finally got untracked, driving in three runs with a pair of hits and leading the Kernels to a 7-5 win before 1,701 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

His fourth-inning double drove in Rafael Valera and Brian Navarreto to put the Kernels up, 4-2. After the Snappers put three runs on the board in the visitor's half of the sixth, English tied things 5-5 with an RBI single in the home half of the frame. He came around to score Cedar Rapids’ seventh run for a two-run cushion.

Rosario happy to be healthy again

Cedar Rapids Manager Jake Mauer was not trying to be mean or insensitive when he removed Randy Rosario from Sunday's game against Burlington with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning and the Kernels holding a commanding 7-0 lead.

Rosario made his first start for the Kernels since having Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in May of 2014 and he was on a strict pitch count Sunday, even though he needed just one more out to qualify for the victory.

Rosario got a strikeout for the second out in the fifth inning with his 80th pitch and Mauer promptly came out to the mound and made a change.

"That's OK," Rosario said with a big smile after the 9-6 victory, signing autographs for Kernels fans while sitting in the outfield grass. "I say to Jake, 'Thank-you.'"

Rosario began the 2014 season with the Kernels and made three starts with the club before going on the disabled list April 23. He had surgery a few weeks after that and began the long rehab process, so Sunday's start against Burlington was a big hurdle to overcome on his road back.

Rosario's overall health and welfare are much more important than getting him a "W" in the boxscore.

Big holiday crowd sees Kernels sting Bees

Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Zach Tillery was a little too busy to soak in the atmosphere and pay much attention to the big holiday crowd at Veterans Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Tillery just wanted to throw strikes and get outs.

"I was mainly focused on that," he said in the Kernels clubhouse. "I didn't really see the fans."

The fans saw him, however.

Tillery fashioned seven shutout innings Saturday as the Kernels blanked the Burlington Bees, 4-0, before a sellout crowd of 5,645 folks on the Fourth of July.

Cougars suffer 'ugly' loss to Johnston

There was good news and bad news for the Kennedy High School baseball team Saturday, but the bad news was worse than the good news on the Fourth of July.

The good news came in a 6-2 victory over North Scott as Sammy Lizarraga tossed a complete game in the first contest of a holiday tournament at the Kennedy field Saturday morning.

Then came the bad news as the Cougars committed seven errors and Zach Daniels struggled on the mound in a 10-3 setback to the third-ranked Johnston Dragons.

"That was pretty ugly," Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer remarked after the game against Johnston came to a merciful end without any of the Cougars getting seriously hurt (except for their pride, perhaps).