Tue - 20 May
Written by Jim Ecker
J.D. Williams did not need to take a cold shower after delivering the game-winning hit for the Cedar Rapids Kernels on a warm Tuesday afternoon.
He was given an ice-cold bath on the field after the Kernels clipped Beloit, 4-2, thanks to Ivory Thomas, his teammate and roommate on the club.
Williams delivered a two-run pinch-hit single in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 2-2 tie and give the Kernels their third straight victory before a season-high crowd of 3,002 fans and noisy school kids at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Williams was doing a post-game television interview with Jared Aarons of KGAN when Thomas snuck up from behind and dumped a bucket of ice on his buddy.
"I knew as soon as it hit me who's idea it was," said Williams, laughing.
Williams was in a mild hitting slump and batting only .231 when Manager Jake Mauer told him to pinch-hit for Carlos Avila with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. Avila was 2-for-2 with a walk at the time, but Mauer thought Williams was the right guy to deliver in that spot.
Williams pulled a changeup between Beloit first baseman BA Vollmuth and the bag for a two-run single and 4-2 lead.
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