Boomers win Frontier League title
AVON, Ohio — The Schaumburg Boomers capped their second season of existence by winning the Frontier League championship with a 3-1 victory over the Lake Erie Crushers on Tuesday night.
Lake Erie opened the scoring in the third against Schaumburg starter Seth Webster.
The Crushers hit 4 consecutive singles, but miscues on the bases led to just 1 run, on a single from Seth Granger. Webster threw 51⁄3 innings in a no-decision, striking out four.
Lake Erie starter Matt Rein did not allow a hit until Frank Pfister singled leading off the fifth.
The Boomers tied the game in the sixth with a two-out rally. Sean Mahley legged out an infield single and Steve McQuail was hit by a pitch. Brian McConkey tied the game with a single to center, scoring Mahley.
Rein threw 6 innings, allowing 4 hits with 5 strikeouts.
Schaumburg took the lead for the first time in the seventh against reliever Jordan Wellander. Justin Vasquez led off with a ground-rule double to left.
Michael Valadez walked and Alexi Colon singled to load the bases. Jordan Dean bounced into a fielder’s choice for the go-ahead run. Gerard Hall followed by reaching on an error as another run scored.
Schaumburg won all six playoff games in the seventh inning or later.
Tony Delmonico picked up the win, working 12⁄3 innings in relief. Dexter Price locked up his third save of the championship series.
Mike Giovenco was named Frontier League championship series Most Valuable Player, appearing in all three games to go 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA and 7 strikeouts.
The Boomers (59-37, 6-0) became the first team in league history to complete a 6-0 run through the playoffs, following a sweep of the Florence Freedom with another against Lake Erie, which won the title in 2009.
Schaumburg is the 16th different team to claim a championship in history of the Frontier League, the longest running independent league.
The Boomers bring the first title home to Schaumburg in the existence of professional baseball in the village, which began in 1999.