Schaumburg Flyers drop season opener

A decade has come and gone since the Schaumburg Flyers celebrated their inception to the Northern League.

On Thursday, the Flyers opened their 10th season against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Alexian Field, and despite 52-degree temperatures at game time, 2,509 fans still came out to support an organization that has become a fixture on the local baseball scene.

The opener was spoiled for the Flyers, though, as the Red Hawks walked away with a 7-4 victory in 12 innings.

The Flyers went down fighting. Trailing 4-2 in the ninth, catcher Ryan Luther hit a 2-run home run to send the game into extra innings. The homer came after Luther allowed a pair of runs to score on a throwing error to first base in the eighth.

With the bases loaded in the 12th, Fargo's Dan Maycock lined a fastball up the middle, scoring 2 runs. Maycock finished with 3 RBI. The next batter, Boomer Berry, singled home a run.

Scott Koerber came on in the 12th and held off the Flyers for the win.

Another story line on Opening Night had nothing to do with the game, but rather the front office. Ben Burke received a call Tuesday from the Flyers, and by Thursday he had become the team's new general manager.

"This is a homecoming for me to come back to the Flyers because I used to work here," said Burke, who started out as the team's finance manager in 2002. "Last season I wasn't here and I missed it so much."

Burke now has the task of getting up to speed with the organization while handling his duties in the office.

"I'm really looking forward to a season where our fans support us like they always do," he said. "This season you will see some new promotions as well as new activities, but it will still be affordable entertainment."