The Schaumburg Boomers and Quebec Capitales went toe-to-toe in the decisive fifth game of the Frontier League Finals, but Quebec scored in the ninth inning to notch a 6-5 win and secure a fourth consecutive Frontier League crown at Wintrust Field on Sunday night.
Quebec wasted no time in jumping ahead. Jesmuel Valentin led off the game with a double and scored two batters later when Kyle Crowl launched a homer to left. Schaumburg cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning. Chase Dawson dropped a single into right with two away and was moving from first when Anthony Calarco slapped an opposite field single enabling Dawson to score from first.
Another homer allowed Quebec to take a 4-1 lead as Valentin just cleared the wall in the left with two away in the second. The Boomers were able to even the game in the bottom of the fourth with three unearned runs. Dawson reached on an error to start the inning and Nick Podkul walked with two away. Alex Calarco raked a double into the right field corner to bring home two and draw the Boomers within a run a 4-3. The next hitter, Kyle Fitzgerald, Singled home the tying run.
Banks Tolley drilled a no doubt homer to straight away center in the bottom of the sixth to give the Boomers their first lead at 5-4, clearing the batter’s eye in center. Quebec was able to tie the game in the top of the seventh, loading the bases on three straight soft hits. Justin Gideon drew a bases loaded walk to force home the tying run but Caleb Riedel was able to leave the bases full. The Boomers had the go-ahead run at second in the eighth but a diving catch with two away kept the game even. Gideon, who earned MVP of the series, tripled to the wall in center with two outs and two strikes in the league’s first ever championship game five decided in the ninth.
Cole Cook started the game and threw four innings before turning things over to Buddie Pindel, who notched 1.1 innings of relief in front of Riedel. Mitch White struck out the first five batters he faced, but suffered the loss. Anthony Calarco and Kyle Fitzgerald both finished with a pair of hits. The playoff series loss marked just the second series defeat in franchise history, both to Quebec.
