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Boomers repeat as Frontier champs

Back-to-back champions certainly has a nice ring to it.

With a 6-2 victory Wednesday night over the River City Rascals in Game 4 of the Frontier League championship series, the Schaumburg Boomers can again call themselves champions.

"I'm on Cloud 9 right now." head coach Jamie Bennett said. "I think (last year) we felt going into the season when it started that we should win a championship. This year a little bit different. We had a lot of turnover, loss of key players.

"So it was a little bit of rebuilding and it took awhile for this club to click, but they pulled it together."

The Boomers finished with a 61-35 regular-season record, then went 6-2 in the playoffs. Bennett said late summer was when he finally entertained championship thoughts after after the Boomers won it all in 2013.

"Really about late July, early August, when things started to click and some guys started to pick it up a little bit," Bennett said. "We had some key guys, acquisitions down the stretch."

Leading the charge Wednesday night and in the playoffs was ace Seth Webster. In three playoff games, Webster threw 23 innings, giving up just 13 hits, 2 earned runs with 20 strikeouts.

"These are the moments we live for," Webster said. "I'm at a loss of words, honestly … we mix our pitches well. I'm not a guy that's going to stand there and blow a fastball by you, so I have to work counts and get ahead of hitters."

Standing out both offensively and defensively was championship series MVP and returning shortstop Gerard Hall. Playing in Boomer Stadium was a big advantage, the 26 year old said. The Boomers went 40-11 in the regular season at home and led the league in attendance.

"It's been phenomenal, and a lot of it has to do with our fans," Hall said. "Our front office and our fans do a good job of coming out and supporting us and it makes it easy to come out with that energy."

Images: Boomers Clinch Frontier League Championship

Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.comBrayden Nall, 2, of Roselle watches the Schaumburg Boomers' win over the River City Rascals in game four of the Frontier League Championship Wednesday.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.comSchaumburg Boomers players celebrate with their trophy after defeating the River City Rascals in game four of the Frontier League Championship Wednesday.
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