Loons Enter Easter as Winners

MIDLAND, Mich. - Two innings of offense was all the Loons needed on Saturday afternoon to pull off the 8-3 win over Bowling Green at Dow Diamond. Great Lakes scored four runs in the second and four more in the seventh to blow past the Hot Rods in the series finale and avoid the sweep. For the second game in a row, most of the damage came with two outs. 
Miguel Vargas and Dillon Paulson drew back-to-back walks off Hot Rods starter Shane McClanahan (L, 1-2) to keep the second inning alive. Three pitches later, Luke Heyer cleared the bases with a double to make the score 2-0. After another walk by Chris Roller, Jacob Amaya tripled to center field to bring in two more Loons, but was thrown out at home gunning for the inside-the-park home run.
Those four runs were more than enough for Loons starter Stephen Kolek (W, 1-2), who allowed three runs in five innings of work, with three walks and three strikeouts. Saturday's eight-run outburst was also more run support than Kolek had received in his first three starts combined. 
The Loons picked up just one hit between the second and seventh innings before exploding once again. Niko Hulsizer knocked in a run on a single to right field to kick-start the scoring, and a James Outman triple brought in two more. 
After back-to-back games of dipping deep into the bullpen, Great Lakes only had to use two pitchers thanks to the stellar performance of Kevin Malisheski (S, 1), who arrived in Midland just hours before first pitch. He faced the minimum over four innings of relief and struck out two Hot Rods in his Single-A debut. He and pitcher Justin Bruihl were added as reinforcements for a fatigued bullpen before the game. 
The Loons now have their first off day of the season on Easter Sunday before welcoming the West Michigan Whitecaps to town for a three-game series. First pitch on Monday is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. EDT. 
The Great Lakes Loons have been the Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team's home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.