Return home happy for Boomers as they grab first win

Joe Hauser and his Schaumburg Boomers teammates must have been happy to see their home field Tuesday night.

Not only to shake off a disappointing start to the season - the Boomers were swept in an opening 3-game series on the road at the Gateway Grizzlies - but also to celebrate their 2017 Frontier League championship.

It was ring night at Boomers Stadium and Hauser, a right-handed pitcher who came over to Schaumburg midway through last season, said that he was excited for the evening to begin.

"An amazing year last year," Hauser said. "We came together as a squad. No matter what the score was, some how, some way, we always thought we were going to come back and win."

The Boomers had scored only 3 runs in the forgettable weekend against the Grizzlies, but the bats came alive Tuesday against the Southern Illinois Miners.

Schaumburg won 9-4 for their first victory of the young season.

Hauser got the start on the mound for Schaumburg and kept the Boomers in the game by wriggling out of a bases-loaded, no outs jam in the second.

The Miners had already plated a run and threatened to break the game wide open early, but Hauser first got a popout, then a double play to limit the damage.

Then the Boomers scored 3 times in the bottom of the frame on the strength of 4 consecutive singles by Clint Hardy, Josh Gardiner, James Keller and Jack Parenty, and a sac fly from Casey Scoggins.

Schaumburg then scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth to take a 6-3 lead after 6 - with the RBIs coming from right fielder Clint Hardy (single in the third), third baseman Kenny Towns (sac fly in the fourth), and Parenty on a fielders choice in the fifth.

The Boomers plated 3 more runs in the latter innings and closer Jake Joyce - who is one of the longest tenured Boomers - came on in the ninth to get the save.

Joyce recorded the final out on a strikeout and Hauser, who previously pitched for Angelo State and participated in 2 Division 2 college World Series, got the win for the Boomers.

He finished last season with an ERA of 1.65.

"It feels great," said Hauser about the Boomers championship celebration. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time ... Seeing a lot of the guys back from last year is just a special moment. We're always going to be a family. "