BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Cedar Rapids Kernels hit three home runs and struck out 15 Bowling Green batters Wednesday night in a 7-2 victory over the Hot Rods.

The Kernels (48-53) collected 14 hits and have won 10 of their last 12 games.

Tanner Vavra, Logan Wade and Mitch Garver all went deep for the Kernels. It was Vavra's first professional home run and one of his three hits Wednesday.

Garver hit his team-best 13th for the season. It was his fourth home run in the last two games after belting three round-trippers Monday.

Three Kernels hurlers combined to punch out 15 hitters, the second-highest strikeout total this season. Aaron Slegers (7-6) started and picked up the win, going six innings. He struck out seven while allowing five hits, one walk and two runs (one earned).

Jake Reed recorded six strikeouts in two innings. He allowed one baserunner to reach via a throwing error. Nick Burdi struck out two batters in the final inning, allowing no runs or hits.

The Kernels took a 2-1 lead in the third inning. Varva's home run led off the inning and went to right field, into the visitor's bullpen. Three batters later, Wade nailed his third home run of the season to deep left field.

The Hot Rods tied the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the third inning.

The game did not stay tied for long as the Kernels moved ahead 4-2 in the fourth inning. Garver started the inning by drilling his home run down the left field line.

With two outs in the inning, the Kernels collected three straight singles to score another run. Jason Kanzler and Vavra singled before Jon Murphy's RBI single into right-center put the Kernels up by a pair.

In the fifth inning, the Kernels tallied two runs for the third straight inning, pushing the lead to 6-2. Wade reached on a fielding error by second baseman Darryl George to begin the inning. Chad Christensen followed with an infield single to put two on with no outs.

Garver's groundout moved the pair up 90 feet. A wild pitch by Issac Gil plated Wade to put the Kernels up by three runs. Bryan Haar followed with an RBI single to left to bring in Christensen, making the score 6-2.

The Kernels tallied the final run of the game in the ninth inning. Engelb Vielma singled to start the frame. He scored when Christensen went the opposite way for an RBI double to right, extending the lead to 7-2.

Ben Grisett (0-6) took the loss for Bowling Green, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits in four innings. Gil threw three scoreless innings in relief.

Linn-Mar High School graduate and former Iowa Hawkeye Andrew Hanse pitched two innings for the Hot Rods. He went the eighth and ninth innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out one and walking one.

The Kernels and Hot Rods square off in game two of the series Thursday night.