Boomers soar past Y'Alls 12-2, lead series 2-1

FLORENCE, Ky. - The 2021 Central Division champion Schaumburg Boomers placed runners on base in all but one inning, and Ryan Middendorf tossed a complete game as the team recorded a 12-2 victory over the Florence Y'Alls to open a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-five Frontier League Division Series.

Luke Becker opened the scoring in the second inning with a 2-run single. Nick Oddo followed with a 2-run homer, the first of 3 hit by the Boomers in the win. Schaumburg put five straight on base in the second. Angelo Gumbs hit a 2-run homer in the third to push the margin to 6-0, and Matt Bottcher doubled home 2 runs in the fifth before scoring on an error as the advantage moved to 9-0.

Middendorf retired nine straight from the second inning on and did not allow a hit until the fifth when Jordan Brower launched a solo homer. Quincy Nieporte blasted a solo home run in the sixth to make the score 10-1. Another run scored on an error in the seventh, and Oddo added an RBI single as the Boomers led 12-1. Florence added a single runs with two outs in the ninth.

Middendorf threw 111 pitches and allowed just 4 hits in the complete-game effort. The right-hander, who won 11 games during the regular season, is from West Chester, Ohio, less than an hour from Florence. He struck out seven while walking two and hitting one.

The offense slugged 16 hits as eight batters posted a hit and seven scored a run. Nieporte, Clint Hardy and Gumbs all logged 3 hits. Hardy also stole a base while Bottcher reached base four times. The bottom five in the order accounted for 11 hits, 10 runs and 8 RBI.

The Boomers will have two chances to win the series beginning with Game 4 today at 6 p.m. LHP Andrew Dean (5-10, 4.78) will start for Schaumburg. He has not faced Florence this season.