Schaumburg Boomers bats go quiet in loss to Joliet Slammers

The Schaumburg Boomers allowed three runs in the first inning and managed just two hits in a 5-1 setback to the Joliet Slammers on the final home Saturday of the season at Wintrust Field before another full house.

The first four batters of the game reached for Joliet, who took advantage of a pair of errors to score two unearned runs and lead 3-0. The Slammers added runs in the third and fourth innings to open a 5-0 edge.

The lone run for the Boomers came across in the fourth. Andrew Sojka and Christian Fedko walked to start the inning and with one away Sojka crossed on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Paxton Wallace. The pitchers took over from there.

Joliet retired the final 13 Boomers to come to the plate as Schaumburg did not record a baserunner following an Alec Craig single with two outs in the fifth.

Antonio Frias settled down for the Boomers and recorded a quality start, allowing just three earned runs in seven innings but suffered the loss. Frias struck out the side in the sixth and seventh, finishing with nine strikeouts. Frias and Dallas Woolfolk combined to retire 14 of 16 from the fourth into the ninth. Woolfolk twirled a pair of blank innings.

The combo of Frias and Woolfolk struck out 10 in the contest, but the Boomers struck out nine times on the offensive end. Sojka reached base twice in the loss.

The Boomers (42-41) did not lose any ground in the playoff race as both Florence and Lake Erie suffered losses but with just 13 games remaining Schaumburg is 3.5 games back of Lake Erie in the battle for the final slot.

The stretch of 14 games in 13 days will come to an end at 1 p.m. Sunday.