A safety squeeze in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Schaumburg Boomers to a fourth consecutive win, taking down the Lake Erie Crushers 4-3 at Wintrust Field to reach the 30-win mark for the season.
The Boomers led 3-0, scoring three runs on three consecutive two-out singles in the bottom of the third. Kyle Fitzgerald, Brett Milazzo and Chase Dawson all delivered run-scoring singles. Lake Erie came back to tie the game, plating a pair of two-out runs in the sixth and evening the game in the eighth with a bases loaded walk. Milazzo singled with one out in the bottom of the eighth, moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a Dawson single before Blake Berry put down the safety squeeze for the win.
Luis Perez allowed two runs in six innings with two walks and eight strikeouts. Cristian Lopez earned the win in relief with Jake Joyce logging his fifth save. Milazzo and Dawson both tallied two hits as each team finished with six.
The Boomers (30-18) continue the series with Lake Erie on Saturday night at 6:00 pm. The first 1,000 fans receive a replica Boomers jersey thanks to Wintrust and the contest will also feature Post-Game Fireworks. RHP Jackson Hickert (3-1, 4.12) is scheduled to start for the Boomers opposite RHP Matt Mulhearn (2-3, 4.73). Visit www.boomersbaseball.com to secure your tickets or call 847-461-3695 to ensure you don’t miss out on the fun.