Boomers win 5-4 in ninth

Mike Valadez of the Schaumburg Boomers singled in the game-winning run in the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory over the Gateway Grizzlies to clinch a series sweep and improve the Boomers' home record to 8-1.

The Boomers return to action on Fireworks Friday as Chicago's newest professional team welcomes the first-place River City Rascals for a Frontier League West Division showdown at 6:30 p.m.

Valadez, the Boomers' catcher who went 2-for-4, stepped to the plate with the bases full and one out in the ninth. The California native smacked an 0-1 pitch back up the middle and was immediately mobbed by his teammates after a crazy night at Boomers Stadium.

The visiting Grizzlies got on the board first with single runs in the second and fourth. Case Rigby drove in Jerod Yakubik with a double in the second, and Jon Myers scored on a double-play grounder in the fourth.

It wasn't just the Boomers between-inning entertainment that was a bit bizarre on this night, as the Boomers took advantage of some on field confusion to get their first run.

With Nick Kuroczko on first, Andrew Cohn on third and Kuroczko on the move with one out on the 3-2 offering to Frank Pfister, the Boomers' third baseman flew out to center and Cohn tagged from third to cross the plate.

The home-plate umpire immediately waved off the run after Kuroczko was doubled off at first base on the throw from center. However, after review with the field umpire, the run was awarded to the Boomers because it was ruled Cohn had scored before the third out of the inning.

What made the play even more bizarre was the fact that the umpires' decision was not universally made known until the next half inning, after the Grizzlies already had batted in the top of the seventh and gave the Boomers a run on the scoreboard before the Boomers cued up the longball in the bottom of the seventh.

Neither starter factored in the decision. The Boomers' Tyler Watkins allowed just 1 earned run (2 total) in his 6 innings and held Gateway to just 3 hits while striking out three and walking a pair.

Grizzlies right-hander Jonathan Gonzalez allowed just 2 hits and a run through 5 innings, before the Boomers tacked on 2 in the sixth.