Boomers drop homestand opener

The Schaumburg Boomers scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning but fell just short of completing the comeback in an 8-7 loss to the Washington Wild Things on Tuesday night in the opener of a six-game homestand.

Washington scored a pair of runs in the second and third to open a 4-0 advantage. Kyle Ruchim lifted a sacrifice fly and Josh Gardiner notched an RBI single in the bottom of the third, bringing the Boomers within 4-2. The visitors piled on four runs in the seventh against the bullpen to jump ahead 8-2 before the five-run eruption in the eighth. The Boomers faced four different pitchers in the eighth and received RBI singles from John Holland and Jack Parenty while Opie Brodbeck produced an RBI double and Sean Godfrey a two-run single. Schaumburg left the bases loaded and trapped the tying run on base in the ninth as well.

Lars Liguori worked six innings but suffered the loss. The Boomers finished with 13 hits in the defeat. Brodbeck notched three with a pair of doubles. Ruchim, Gardiner and Holland all produced a pair.

The Boomers (55-24) continue to own the best record in the league and hold a commanding lead in the East Division while closing in on a playoff berth with a magic number of six for the division and five for the playoffs pending results elsewhere. The series continues on Wednesday afternoon at 1 p.m. with RHP Brandon Quintero (3-1, 2.17) on the mound against RHP Chase Cunningham (8-2, 3.31).