The Schaumburg Boomers waited through a pair of weather delays and rallied for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take the opener from the Empire State Greys 6-2 at Wintrust Field.
The contest started 26 minutes late due to rain and the Greys struck for a pair of runs in the first. Rain started falling even harder with two outs forcing a delay of over two hours. Neither team was able to do much after the resumption until Alec Craig posted an RBI single with two outs to score the first run for the Boomers. Kyle Fitzgerald smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to put Schaumburg ahead. A wild pitch scored a run and Brett Milazzo added a two-run single in the five-run frame.
Antonio Frias worked 6.1 scoreless innings of relief following the resumption of play. Cristian Lopez earned his first professional win in relief while Dylan Stutsman closed out the win. Craig and Milazzo posted two hits apiece while Gaige Howard walked three times to extend his on-base streak to 27.
The Boomers will continue the series on Wednesday night at 6:30pm with RHP Jackson Hickert (2-1, 2.42) on the mound against LHP Zach Gettys (0-1, 7.58). The first 1,000 fans 21 & older will receive a Boomers Bucket Hat thanks to Busch Light and it will be two-for-one Busch Light all game. The home schedule for 2023 is just underway. Tickets are available by visiting www.boomersbaseball.com or calling 847-461-3695.