Joliet staves off Boomers

The Schaumburg Boomers could not rally past the Joliet Slammers in an 8-6 defeat, the seventh straight at home.

The Boomers never led in the contest, falling behind 2-0 in the second inning. Schaumburg tallied a pair of unearned runs in the fifth to tie the game on a balk and a wild pitch. Joliet instantly struck for three to grab the lead. Schaumburg had the tying runs at bat or on base in the final three innings but could not rally. Craig Massey finished with three hits while Buffalo Grove, Ill. native Kyle Ruchim notched a pair to extend his hitting streak to a career best 11 games. Mike Schulze drew a pair of walks and has reached base in 28 straight home games while Jordan Dean has reached in 22 consecutive contests at home.

Brett Mabry worked five innings and allowed just two earned run but did not factor in the decision. Hideyoshi Otake took the loss. Dexter Price returned from injured reserve after missing nearly 50 games to toss a perfect eighth.

The Boomers (25-36) continue the homestand with a morning game against the Slammers at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. RHP Raul Jacobson (1-1, 3.25) starts against RHP Kevin Walter (1-6, 5.76).