The Cedar Rapids Kernels were eliminated from any opportunity to earn a postseason berth in the first half of the Midwest League season before this week’s series against Quad Cities began, but the Kernels have been doing their best to spoil the River Bandits' chances as well.

The Kernels took two out of three games in the series with a 5-2 win in front of 2,898 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium Thursday night.

The Cedar Rapids victory dropped the River Bandits two games behind Burlington in the race for second place in the MWL’s Western Division with just three games left in the first half.

Ryan Eades (4-7) had his best start in more than a month and recorded his first win since throwing five shutout innings against Peoria May 4.

Eades, the Minnesota Twins’ second-round draft pick out of LSU a year ago, gave up two runs and spread out nine hits over seven innings. He walked just one and struck out two Bandits.

Eades’ catcher on the night, Mitch Garver, was enthusiastic after the game about his pitcher’s performance.

“He was lights out,” said Garver. “He was throwing everything I wanted him to throw where I wanted him to throw it. He was able to locate three different pitches for strikes. He kept their hitters really off balance. That was awesome, we really needed that.”

Alex Muren earned his first save, walking one hitter and striking out three in two hitless shutout innings of relief.

Garver led the Kernels' offensive attack, doubling in his first two at-bats. He scored the first Kernels run in the second inning and drove in two runs in the third.

Garver has reached base safely in the last 21 games he’s played. The Kernels catcher also made one of the more unique defensive plays you’ll see on a ballfield in the third inning.

With Bandits catcher Brian Holberton on first base, Garver blocked a ball in the dirt and Holberton took several steps toward second base. Garver recovered the ball and ran at Holberton, making an unassisted tag as Holberton made a late attempt to get back to first base.

“The last time I did that, I was about 8 years old,” said Garver. “Tonight, I got lucky blocking a ball in the dirt a little off the plate and he got caught in the middle. He had to pick one way and he didn’t pick one.”

The Kernels notched their five runs with the benefit of just five hits, but supplemented those hits by drawing eight walks and a hit batsman.

“We had timely hits and the guys in front of me did a good job of getting on base,” said Garver. “That’s what we need to do is get timely hits.”

Garver’s first double was also the first Kernels hit. He scored two batters later on an RBI single by Jason Kanzler.

In the third inning, two Quad Cities pitchers combined to walk three straight Kernels to load the bases with one out. Chad Christensen drove in Jon Murphy with a sacrifice fly and Garver followed with his second double, knocking in Engelb Vielma and Ryan Walker.

In the home half of the eighth inning, the Kernels again loaded the bases without the benefit of a hit. Christensen and Bryan Haar sandwiched walks around a Garver hit-by-pitch. Joel Licon also walked, forcing in a run to wrap up the Kernels’ scoring on the night.

The Kernels open the final series of the first half of the season Friday night against Burlington at 6:35.

QUAD CITIES (2): Phillips, rf, 4 0 0 0, Moon, ss, 4 0 0 0, Ramsay, cf, 3 0 1 0, McDonald, 1b, 4 0 0 0, Mitchell, dh, 4 1 1 0, White, 3b, 3 1 2 1, Holberton, c, 3 0 2 1, Fernandez, lf, 3 0 2 0, Elkins, 2b, 1 0 1 0. Totals 29 2 9 2.

KERNELS (5): Vielma, ss, 3 1 1 0, Walker, 2b, 2 1 0 0, Christensen, 1b, 2 1 0 1, Garver, c, 3 1 2 2, Haar, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Kanzler, cf, 4 0 1 1, Thomas, rf, 0 0 0 0, Vavra, dh, 4 0 0 0, Licon, lf, 3 0 0 1, Murphy, rf/cf, 2 1 0 0. Totals 26 5 5 5.

Quad Cities   000 200 000 - 2 9 0

Kernels       013 000 01x - 5 5 1

Houser, Brunnemann (3), Comer (6), Tiburcio (8) and Holberton. Eades, Muren (8) and Garver. W - Eades (4-7). L - Houser (4-2). 2B - Garver 2 (16), White (1). SB - Christensen (18). E - Thomas (3). T - 2:44. A - 2,898.