The Schaumburg Boomers put runners on base in every inning and hit a pair of homers en route to an 11-6 win over the Gateway Grizzlies to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Midwest Conference Finals.
Gateway opened the scoring just two pitches into the game when Dale Thomas homered. Victor Castillo would add another solo blast in the frame to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage. The lead was short lived as the Boomers responded with four in the bottom of the inning. Alec Craig led off with a single and Chase Dawson walked with one away. Frontier League MVP Anthony Calarco slapped an opposite field double to score a run as the Boomers got on the board. Nick Podkul tied the game with an RBI fielder’s choice before Aaron Simmons put Schaumburg ahead for good with a double to deep center, scoring a pair.
The lead grew to 5-2 in the third on an RBI single from Alex Calarco. Gateway scored a run in the fourth to pull within 5-3 but Banks Tolley slammed a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to hand the Boomers their largest lead of the night at 8-3. Gateway attempted to rally but the Boomers had an answer for every attempt. Anthony Calarco recorded another opposite field double to score a run in the seventh, driving home his fifth run of the postseason. After Gateway brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth Kyle Fitzgerald accounted for the final with a two-run homer.
Cole Cook threw seven innings and did not walk a batter to win for the second time in the postseason. Caleb Riedel finished out the win by working the eighth and ninth. Craig paced a 16-hit attack with four hits as all nine starters reached at least once. Anthony Calarco finished with three hits along with Tolley. The Boomers left 15 on base but also drew nine walks along with a hit by pitch.