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MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Great Lakes Shines in Five-Run Fourth

August 9, 2013 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


BOWLING GREEN, KY - Devin Shines made the most of his first game back with the Great Lakes Loons.

Thursday night, the outfielder returned to the team managed by his father and changed the game with a three-run, go-ahead home run in the fourth inning, and the Loons leaped over Bowling Green in the Eastern Division Second Half standings with a 7-4 win over the Hot Rods.

Shines began the season on the Loons' roster but was promoted to Rancho Cucamonga June 2. He spent time on and off the Quakes' roster before returning to the Loons prior to Wednesday's game.

After the Hot Rods scored runs in the first and second innings to go ahead 2-0, Shines blasted his first home run of the season with either squad with Tyler Ogle and Webster Rivas on following singles. The shot gave the Loons the lead for good in the inning, but the ballclub wasn't though scoring yet. Kevin Taylor followed two pitches later and just missed a homer high off the wall in left-center for a triple. Brandon Dixon drove the next pitch to right-center for a double bringing in Taylor. Two batters later, Jeremy Rathjen followed with a double scoring Dixon and giving the Loons a 5-2 advantage.

In their five-run fourth inning, the Loons hit for the cycle with a homer, triple, two doubles and two singles.

Bowling Green threatened in the eighth inning, capitalizing on two errors by Dixon and scoring two runs (one earned) to pull to within two. But reliever Thomas Taylor struck out Brandon Martin with the bases loaded and two outs to end the threat.

Tom Windle (4-0) was charged with one earned run over five innings to secure his fourth professional win. The lefty from Minnesota struck out five. Rob Rogers recorded seven relief outs with one earned run allowed. He too struck out five. Taylor escaped a jam over 2/3 inning, notching two strikeouts. And Owen Jones, replacing Craig Stem in the Loons' ninth inning role, struck out two in a perfect final inning to record his first save of the year.

Jeff Ames (7-4), whose brother Steve pitched for the Loons in 2010, dominated through the first three innings, striking out six, but faced nine Loons batters in the fourth and walked the first two in the fifth before departing the game and taking the loss.

The Loons now lead the Hot Rods by a half game in the standings with first place again on the line Friday night as the Loons (28-18 second half, 55-61 overall) conclude their seven-game roadtrip with the finale of a three-game series in Bowling Green (28-19, 66-49) beginning at 8:05pm ET. Left-handed pitcher Miguel Sulbaran (6-3, 3.05 ERA) faces fellow lefty Jordan Harrison (2-2, 3.38). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN 100.9-FM.

The Loons are a seventh-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the Midwest League. For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.

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