Metro Sports Report

Cannoy tosses 2-hitter for Marion

EPWORTH - Quinn Cannoy pitched a two-hit shutout Friday night as the Marion Indians blanked Dubuque Wahlert, 4-0, in the opening round of the Class 3A district tournament.

The Indians (23-15) will face Western Dubuque in the district finals Monday at 7 p.m. in Epworth.

Marion grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a bases-loaded walk by Christian Stekl.

The Indians made it 2-0 in the second inning. David Kuhn led off with a single and scored on an RBI single by Logan Fuller.

Marion took a 4-0 advantage in the third inning. John Carstenson hit a double to drive in pinch-runner Owen Carstensen. Trevor Hardman knocked in Carstenson with a single.

Kuhn had three hits for Marion. Carstenson had two hits.

Marion     112 000 0 - 4 10 1

Wahlert    000 000 0 - 0 2 2

W - Cannoy. L - Pemsl.

Streaking Kernels win in 11th

It took the Cedar Rapids Kernels two extra frames to do it, but after 11 innings of baseball Friday night they had a coveted sweep of their three-game series with the Lake County Captains.

The Kernels topped Lake County, 6-5, in walk-off fashion in front of 3,642 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium when Logan Wade scored from third base on a ground ball by Mitch Garver.

Captains third baseman Grant Fink elected to try to throw Wade out at the plate, rather than turn a potential inning-ending double play. Fink’s throw was on target, but plate umpire Tyler Olson called Wade safe on a close play and the Kernels had their win.

“The umpire said, ‘Safe,’ so he’s safe,” said Kernels Manager Jake Mauer. “We had several chances to win that game, but a win’s a win and we’ll take it."

Stewart shines for surging Kernels

Cedar Rapids pitcher Kohl Stewart says he learned a valuable lesson when an umpire kicked him out of a Midwest League game here July 5th for mouthing off.

"As hard as it is to say, I think that needed to happen," Stewart said Thursday night. "I deserved to get thrown out.

"He threw me out and I had to sit there and own it and man up to it. It won't happen again, that's for sure."

Stewart has won two straight games for the surging Kernels since he lasted only 2.2 innings against Beloit July 5 before getting the heave-ho for making an unacceptable remark to the home-plate umpire.

He tossed five shutout innings Thursday as Cedar Rapids trimmed Lake County, 4-3, before 2,413 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium to reach the .500 mark for the second half of the season.

Swim helps Kernels with hot bat

Alex Swim declined an offer to join the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 2012 after they selected him in the 36th round of the draft, but it had little to do with money or his desire to stay at Elon University and get his degree.

Swim's mother, Mary, has been afflicted with multiple sclerosis since the late 1980's and was hospitalized around the time of the 2012 draft, so he decided to stay home in North Carolina to be with her and help as much as he could.

"I wouldn't change it for the world," Swim said Wednesday night. "I stayed and helped out around the house. It was the best decision for me.

"She's fine now," he said. "She's doing well."

Swim, 23, got another chance to turn pro when the Minnesota Twins picked him in the 23rd round of the 2013 draft following his senior campaign at Elon, which made the NCAA tournament last year.