CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa 鈥 The Beloit Sky Carp dropped a shootout in the opener of their series with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, losing 19-12 Tuesday night.
The Kernels broke a 12-12 tie with six runs in the bottom of the eighth in a game that featured 11 home runs, seven of them by Cedar Rapids.
Dillon Head led off the game with a single, Brandon Compton walked and Starlyn Caba connected with his fifth home run of the season to take a 3-0 lead just three batters into the game.
The Kernels responded with a pair of solo home runs by Walker Jenkins and Eduardo Tait in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Sky Carp responded immediately, with Jesus Hernandez hitting a single, Compton was hit by a pitch and Head walked to load the bases for Emilio Barreras, who hit a grand slam to make it 7-2.
Carson Laws continued his struggles in the starting spot, allowing four runs in the bottom of the third to allow the Kernels to close within 7-6.
Caba hit an RBI grounder in the fourth to extend the Carp lead to 8-6, and Cam Clayton鈥檚 two-run homer in the fifth made it 10-6.
The Kernels broke through for three runs in the bottom of the fifth, then scored two more to take an 11-10 lead in the sixth inning.
Clayton hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot that catapulted the Carp back into a 12-11 advantage in the seventh.
But the Kernels scored one in the seventh to tie the game before the seven-run outburst in the eighth finished the game.
Jesus Rios allowed seven runs (five earned) to earn the loss.