Nick Podkul hit a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Schaumburg Boomers rallied to a 5-3 win over the Lake Erie Crushers to sweep the Frontier League Wild Card Series on Friday night.
Podkul’s heroics came moments after Frontier League MVP Anthony Calarco tied the game with a bloop single to left. Lake Erie built a 3-0 lead in the contest behind single runs in the first, second and fifth. Schaumburg drew within 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth. Alec Craig and Christian Fedko recorded back-to-back doubles to allow the first run to score and Calarco lifted a sacrifice fly. The Boomers left the tying runs on base in the sixth and seventh before the ninth inning drama. Fedko was hit by a pitch with one away and moved up on a groundout. Calarco worked the count full with two outs before dropping an opposite field single over the shortstop’s head to tie the game and set the stage for Podkul, who launched a 1-0 offering over the wall in left to win the game.
The Boomers had stranded 10 on base prior to the ninth. Buddie Pindel threw six innings in a no-decision, allowing just two earned runs on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Dallas Woolfolk, Nick Paciorek and Mitch White logged scoreless innings with White earning the win. The offense finished with 10 hits. Chase Dawson logged three and Fedko two.
