Schaumburg Boomers rally for thrilling walk-off victory

Trailing 5-0 in the first inning, the Schaumburg Boomers came all the way back to open Memorial Day weekend with a thrilling 8-7 walk-off win over the Lake Erie Crushers in 10 innings at Wintrust Field.

Lake Erie jumped ahead quickly, tallying three consecutive singles to begin the game with the first run scoring on the third single from Vincent Byrd Jr. Four more runs came in when Lake Erie posted five hits in the inning.

Schaumburg starter Jackson Hickert threw over 40 pitches in the frame but settled down and retired eight straight, eventually working deep into the contest. The Boomers got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in second. Aaron Simmons doubled home Kyle Fitzgerald from first and Felix Aberouette followed by singling him home on the very next pitch.

The visitors pushed across a run in the fourth on a solo homer from Ethan Skender before Chase Dawson led off the bottom with a triple, his second of the year. Dawson scored on an error that enabled Brett Milazzo to reach. Lake Erie added an unearned run in the sixth against Hickert, who was still in the game, to lead 7-3.

The Boomers battled to tie the game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Christian Fedko singled home Dawson, who had doubled to start the inning. With the bases clear and two outs Simmons single and Aberouette followed by reaching on an error. Tyler Depreta-Johnson socked a two-run double to right and crossed the plate when Alec Craig drove him home with a single up the middle, evening the score.