The West won 5-4 in ten innings.
Tim Smith of Clinton hit a home run in the top of the tenth to give the West the lead. He hit it off Miguel Ramirez of the hometown Looooooooooons.
Smith, a Clinton LumberKings' outfielder, pulled a fastball just inside the rightfield foul pole for a tiebreaking home run in the top of the 10th inning off Great Lakes Loons' closer Ramirez, sending the West team past the East team 5-4 in Tuesday's Midwest League All-Star Game at Dow Diamond in front of a record crowd of 5,814.There was a 30 minute rain-delay in the fifth, but overall...take a bow, Great.Lakes.Loons.
"That's the game," said Ramirez, who was making his second straight All-Star Game appearance for the Loons. "I tried my hardest, and (Smith) tried his hardest."
You don't take a back seat to anybody when it comes to staging an All-Star baseball weekend. In fact, it measured up to anything I have seen at the Major League level, including All-Star and World Series games.Now THAT is some hometown pride!
Timber Rattler performances for the Western Division in the game:
Edilio Colina got the start at second base after Steve Singleton of Beloit was promoted before the game. Colina was 1-for-5 with an RBI.
Juan Diaz got into the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and went 0-for-2.
Travis Mortimore pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
The 2009 MWL All-Star game is scheduled for Alliant Energy Field in Clinton, Iowa.
