Phil Steering did it again for the Joliet Slammers as the All-Star catcher logged a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to hand Joliet a 4-3 win over the Schaumburg Boomers in the series finale after tallying the walk-off hit in Tuesday’s contest.
Joliet scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the second with two outs against Schaumburg starter Hunter Hoopes who was making his first professional start after signing earlier in the day. Will Prater evened the score with a two-run single in the top of the third with two outs but former Boomer Matt McGarry doubled home the go-ahead run in the bottom of the third with two outs as the Slammers led 3-2. The contest remained even until Blake Berry throttled his second homer in as many games over the wall in right to tie the game. Both teams threw out the potential go-ahead run at the plate. Gaige Howard recorded an outfield assist to cut down a run in the sixth and Lane Baremore threw out a runner to end the top of the ninth.
Hoopes, a University of Alabama product, worked four innings in his debut and allowed three runs with three walks and four strikeouts. Antonio Frias, Miguel Reyes, Dylan Stutsman and Kristian Scott all tossed scoreless innings in relief. Jake Joyce suffered the loss. The pitching staff struck out 11 in the defeat and fanned double-digit hitters in all three games of the series.
Chase Dawson recorded a pair of hits to up his career total to 333 in his four seasons with the team, matching Jordan Dean for the all-time franchise lead. Zach Huffins and Prater both tallied a pair of hits while Alec Craig walked three times. Schaumburg stole six bases in the game with four different individuals getting in the act.
The Boomers (32-23) return home tomorrow night to begin a six-game homestand with a 6:30pm contest against the Trois-Rivieres Aigles. The night of fun will feature a t-shirt giveaway and postgame fireworks. The first 1,000 fans receive a Boomers Feel the Boom T-shirt thanks to US Waterproofing, Blink Tees, and isolved. Visit www.boomersbaseball.com to secure your tickets to a game in the second part of the season before summer is gone or call 847-461-3695 to ensure you don’t miss out on the fun.