Metro Sports Report

Mount Mercy joins MSR lineup of schools

A mother of a Mount Mercy basketball player asked me a few months ago why we were covering Coe College on the Metro Sports Report website but not the Mustangs.

It was a fair and legitimate question. Both schools have quality sports programs and are neighbors on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids, so why one and not the other?

"Just wait a few months," I told her. "It's in the works. We plan to add Mount Mercy to our lineup as soon as possible."

Today is the day.

As president of the Metro Sports Report, I am delighted to announce that the MSR has added the Mustangs to our website as we continue to focus on the schools and teams right here in Cedar Rapids and Marion.

Hu-dini helps Kernels win 7th straight

The Cedar Rapids Kernels stretched their winning streak to a season-high seven games Monday night, defeating Quad Cities in the first game of a three-game series, 4-2.

The Kernels are proving they can beat you with the bats, as they did in Beloit a week ago when they  scored 28 runs in their three-game series sweep of the Snappers. And they can beat you in an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel, as they did to the River Bandits Monday in front of 1,394 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Kernels starting pitcher Chih-Wei Hu (6-1) struck out eight River Bandits in six innings while giving up just one unearned run on three hits.

The win was Hu’s sixth in eight appearances for the Kernels. His lone loss came in his last start Aug. 6 against Wisconsin. That loss didn’t sit well with the right-hander from Taiwan.

After that game, Hu said he asked pitching coach Ivan Arteaga, “Why was I so bad?”

Waukee nips Kennedy at Hunters Ridge

The Waukee Warriors spoiled the day for the Kennedy Cougars and everyone else at the Linn-Mar Invitational golf tournament Monday at Hunters Ridge.

Tripp Kinney of Waukee fired a 3-under-par 69 to claim medalist honors and lead the Warriors to the team championship.

Waukee nipped Kennedy, 305-306, for the title.

Cole Murdock of Kennedy finished second in the individual standings with a2-over 74. The Cougars got a 75 from Conner Koberg and a 76 from Davis Sutton, but all their other golfers shot in the 80's.

There's magic in the air for Kernels

It’s the time of year when baseball teams in the playoff hunt start talking of “magic numbers” – the number of combined wins for your team and losses by your closest competitor that a team needs to clinch a postseason berth.

Before the game on Sunday, the Kernels’ magic number was 11.

After the Kernels generated a bit of ninth-inning magic Sunday, that number is now in single digits at nine with 15 games remaining in the regular season.

The Kernels completed their sweep of the Peoria Chiefs with a walk-off 5-4 win in front of 4,050 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium that featured the winning run scoring on a wild pitch during an attempted intentional walk.

With Logan Wade on third base and Chad Christensen at first, the Chiefs decided to intentionally walk Cedar Rapids cleanup hitter Mitch Garver with the score tied at 4-4.