McConkey, Boomers slam Grizzlies

SAUGET, Ill. — Brian McConkey hit his first homer for Schaumburg, a grand slam with two outs in the top of the 11th inning, as the Boomers finally beat the Gateway Grizzlies 13-9 on Sunday night.

McConkey’s blast finished off a night which saw Schaumburg fail to hold three leads, including two in the late innings. Gerard Hall drove home 5 runs as the Boomers raced to a 6-2 lead through 7 innings. Hall connected on a 2-run homer and a 2-run double, matching a team record with 5 RBI. Gateway scored four times in the eighth inning to tie the score before the Boomers plated 3 in the ninth to go ahead 9-6. Jet Butler’s 3-run homer in the bottom of the ninth tied the game and sent it to extra innings, setting the stage for McConkey’s heroics. McConkey had been 0-for-5 before the blast, just the second slam in franchise history.

The Boomers’ Dan Lazzaroni, the sixth pitcher of the night, earned the win but not without more drama as Gateway brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the inning. The Boomers had a season-high 11 hits. Hall had 3 and Chad Mozingo and Mike Valadez 2 apiece.