The Cedar Rapids Kernels struck out 12 times Thursday night and lost to the Peoria Chiefs, 3-1, in a Midwest League game before 1,259 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels lost quietly and quickly in just 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Cedar Rapids began the season with six straight victory, but now the Kernels have dropped two straight low-scoring games to Peoria. The Chiefs beat the Kernels, 3-2, in 12 innings Wednesday night in the first game of the series.

Both clubs have 6-2 records, but the Peoria pitchers have held the Kernels batters to just three runs in 21 innings.

Kernels starter John Curtiss blanked the Chiefs for five innings and took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but the Chiefs touched him for three runs on five hits in the sixth to claim a 3-1 lead. As it turned out, that was the ballgame.

Cedar Rapids scored its only run in the third inning on a double by Zack Granite and an RBI single by Zack Larson. Granite went 3-for-4 in the ballgame, raising his batting average to a robust .458.

T.J. White had two hits for the Kernels, but the rest of the lineup was quiet. Max Murphy belted a triple to right-center with two outs in the ninth, but it was too little and too late.

The Kernels got more good work from their bullpen. Michael Theofanopoulos and C.K. Irby combined for three shutout innings and four strikeouts.

The final game of the three-game series is scheduled for Friday at 6:35 p.m.

PEORIA (3): Sierra, cf, 5 1 2 0, Mercado, ss, 5 1 1 1, Diekroeger, 3b, 3 1 2 1, DeLeon, 1b, 4 0 0 0, Ringo, dh, 4 0 0 0,  Radack, rf, 4 0 2 0, Bean, c, 3 0 3 1, Thompson, lf, 4 0 0 0, Drake, pr/lf, 0 0 0 0, Seferina, 2b, 2

0 1 0. Totals 34 3 11 3.

KERNELS (1): Granite, lf, 4 1 3 0, Gordon, ss, 4 0 0 0, Larson, dh, 4 0 1

1, Vavra, 1b, 4 0 0 0, Murphy, rf, 4 0 1 0, Hinojosa, 2b, 4 0 0 0, White,

3b, 3 0 2 0, Navarreto, c, 3 0 0 0, English, cf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 33 1 7 1.

Peoria    000 003 000 - 3 11 0

Kernels   001 000 000 - 1 7 1

Gomber, Lomascolo (8), Rowland (9) and Bean. Curtiss, Theofanopoulos (7),

Irby (9) and Navarreto. W - Gomber (1-1). L - Curtiss (1-1). S - Rowland.

2B - Granite (3). 3B - Mercado (1), Murphy (2). E - Irby (1). T - 2:05. A - 1,259.