The Cedar Rapids Kernels dropped a tough ballgame Friday night, but they took another step forward in fan support when they passed 100,000 in attendance for the season.

The Kernels squandered a 6-2 lead and lost to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 8-7, before 3,193 fans in a Midwest League game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels have drawn 101,901 fans in 41 dates this season, which is a healthy 18.9 percent increase and 16,232 fans ahead of last year's figure after 41 openings, according to Cedar Rapids General Manager Doug Nelson.

The big Friday night gathering saw Max Kepler collect four hits and J.D. Williams nearly hit for the cycle, but the bottom line was a frustrating defeat for the home team.

Williams belted a home run off the black batter's eye in dead center field as the leadoff hitter in the first inning, had an RBI triple in the third inning and an RBI single in the fourth. He had three more at-bats in the leadoff spot, needing a double for the cycle, but finished with a ground-out, a walk and a strikeout.

"Yeah, it would be exciting to hit for the cycle," said Williams. "But at the same time it's better to win than have a great performance and lose."

Kepler collected a single, a two-run double, a single and another single in his first four at-bats. He came up again in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and one out, but struck out with the Kernels trailing, 8-6.

"We had to score some runs and unfortunately he threw me a breaking ball in the dirt," said Kepler. "I made a bad swing at it."

Kepler put on a good show for his parents, Kathy Kepler and Marek Rozycki, who are visiting Cedar Rapids for several weeks from their home in Germany. Kernels fans know him as Max Kepler, but his full name is Maximilian Kepler-Rozycki, the son of ballet dancers who met in Berlin.

His mother is from San Antonio, Texas, and his father is from Poland. His father is a big soccer fan, but has become a big baseball fan as well. "Yeah, he loves it," said Kepler.

The Kernels carried a 6-3 lead into the top of the seventh inning, but Wisconsin rallied for five runs and grabbed an 8-6 lead on a grand slam by Tyrone Taylor against Cedar Rapids relief pitcher Steve Gruver.

The Kernels scored once in the bottom of the eighth to pull within 8-7, but they went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.

"Coughed it up," said Manager Jake Mauer. "We just didn't make pitches when we had to. A fielding error allows a run to score and ends up kind of being the winning run.

"That's the thing," he said. "We had chances to win the game. We didn't come through."

The Kernels (52-31) open a three-game series at Clinton Saturday at 6 p.m. The Kernels return home on Wednesday, July 10 to begin a six-game homestand, starting with a three-game series against Dayton.

WISCONSIN (8): Rodriguez, 2b, 3 2 1 0, Reed, rf, 4 2 1 1, Taylor, cf, 4 2 2 5, Roache, lf, 4 0 1 0, Garza, 3b, 4 0 1 1, Berberet, c, 4 0 0 0, McFarland, dh, 4 1 2 0, Giacalone, 1b, 4 1 1 0, A.Williams, ss, 4 0 0 0. Totals 35 8 9 7.

KERNELS (7): D.J.Williams, lf, 5 3 3 3, Polanco, 2b, 4 0 1 0, Hicks, 1b, 4 1 1 0, Harrison, 3b, 3 1 1 0, Kepler, cf, 5 0 4 2, Walker, rf, 5 0 1 2, Goodrum, ss, 5 1 1 0, Grimes, c, 5 0 1 0, Arias, dh, 4 1 2 0, Murphy, ph, 1 0 0 0. Totals 41 7 15 7.

Wisconsin     000 201 500 - 8 9 1
Kernels        103 110 010 - 7 15 2

Lorenzo, Martin (4), Viramontes (7), Arnold (9) and Berberet. Lee, Merck (6), Gruver (7) and Grimes. W - Martin (1-1). L - Merck (1-1). S - Arnold (2). 2B - Taylor (24), Arias (4), Kepler (6). 3B - D.J.Williams (6). HR - Taylor (7), D.J.Williams (7). E - Garza (15), Goodrum (16), Polanco (11). T - 2:54. A - 3,193.