Loons Streaking Reaches Four

SOUTH BEND, Ind - Devin Shines and Brandon Trinkwon both hit key home runs and drove in three each Saturday night in a 9-4 victory for the Great Lakes Loons over the South Bend Silver Hawks.

The Loons won despite the fact that the Silver Hawks out-hit the Loons, 15-10.

Both Bowling Green and Dayton also won Saturday, so the Loons remain 2 ½ games ahead of the Dragons for the final playoff spot and 1 1/2 games behind Dayton for first place. The Loons' winning streak has reached four games, and the team's Magic Number is now six.

Shines' homer, his second of the season with the Loons, was a part of a four-run third inning that gave Great Lakes the lead for good.

With the score tied 2-2, Robbie Garvey led off the inning with a walk - one of three walks he drew in the game, all coming off starter Blake Perry. Jeremy Rathjen followed by a run-scoring double to deep center to give the Loons the lead back. Aaron Miller singled up the middle - one of his two RBI singles in the game - to drive in Rathjen. Later in the inning, Shines turned on an offering from Perry and drove it deep over the wall in left.

Already ahead 6-3 in the sixth, Trinkwon clubbed a three-run shot off reliever Tyler Green to deep right for his second homer of the year.

Rathjen, Miller and Shines all finished the game with two hits each.

Tom Windle (5-0) started and continued with his perfect won-loss record by notching the win despite allowing nine hits over five innings. Windle walked one and struck out five. Tom Taylor provided three solid, scoreless relief innings with three strikeouts.

Perry (7-7) took the loss with six runs allowed (all earned) over four innings. All three of his walks came to Garvey.

Socrates Brito paced the Silver Hawks' 15-hit attack with three singles. All nine starting position players for South Bend recorded at least one hit. Breland Almadova, Brandon Drury, Rudy Flores and Michael Perez all had two hits each.

The Loons (36-25 second half, 63-68 overall) and Silver Hawks (33-29, 77-54) face each other in a Sunday matinee at 2:05 p.m. EST. Nineteen-year old righty Jonathan Martinez (2-4, 3.79) is slated to start for the Loons opposite right-hander Braden Shipley (0-1, 2.70). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN 100.9-FM and ESPN1009.com

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