The Cedar Rapids Kernels returned home Tuesday night hoping to change their fortunes after dropping five of six games on their road trip to Wisconsin and Kane County.

But once again faulty defense and a lack of timely hitting doomed the locals as they fell 6-2 to the Quad Cities River Bandits in front of 2,602 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The first two batters of the game for the Bandits came around to score, giving the visitors a quick lead that they never relinquished.

The Kernels scored single runs in the first and fourth innings, but left runners in scoring position in both frames.

Kernels starting pitcher Aaron Slegers (5-3) retired 11 of 12 Quad Cities hitters after giving up the Bandits’ first two runs, but with two out in the fourth, he gave up back to back singles to Tyler White and Jon Kenner. Both runners then scored when Brett Booth lined a ball over the head of Kernels center fielder Jason Kanzler.

Quad Cities added single runs in their half of the fifth and sixth inning to complete their scoring on the night.

Kernels manager Jake Mauer summarized his team’s night succinctly after the game, saying, “We don’t field a bunt and make a throw. We don’t catch a ball in center field with two outs, it gets over our head. They get two runs on both of them and there you go. It’s 6-2.

“Every night, it’s pretty much the same deal,” added the skipper. “We don’t make a play (on defense) when we have to and we don’t get enough baserunners. We have a few guys who will get on base, but we don’t get anything through the rest of the lineup. We go out there and we’re down four runs and it feels like we’re down 10.”

Cedar Rapids reliever Josue Montanez struck out six Bandit batters in 2.2 innings of relief, giving up just one unearned run, and Chris Mazza struck out two while adding two innings of shutout relief for the Kernels.

Chad Christensen and Tanner Vavra, with a pair of singles each, were the only Kernels hitters with more than one hit on the night.

The same two teams meet again Wednesday night in Cedar Rapids, starting at 6:35.

QUAD CITIES (6): Phillips, cf, 5 3 4 0, Moon, ss, 5 1 1 0, Holberton, dh, 3 0 0 0, McDonald, 1b, 4 0 2 2, Mitchell, rf, 4 0 0 0, White, 3b, 4 1 1 0, Kemmer, lf, 4 1 1 0, Booth, c, 4 0 1 2, Elkins, 2b, 4 0 0 0. Totals 37 6 10 4.

KERNELS (2): Walker, ss, 4 0 0 0, Licon, 3b, 4 0 0 0, Christensen, lf, 4 1 2 0, Haar, dh, 4 0 1 0, Kanzler, cf, 4 0 1 0, Quesada, c, 4 1 1 0, Vavra, 2b, 4 0 2 0, Altobelli, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Murphy, rf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 34 2 7 0.

Quad Cities    200 210 100 - 6 10 1
Kernels        100 100 000 - 2 7 2

Gustave, Feliz (5), Cotton (9) and Booth. Slegers, Montanez (5), Mazza (8) and Quesada. W - Feliz (2-1). L - Slegers (5-3). 2B - Haar (12). 3B - Booth (1), Phillips (10). SB - Phillips (11), Moon (24). E - White (10), Altobelli (3), Quesada (2). T - 2:50. A - 2,602.