Cole Cook made his Wintrust Field debut as a member of the Boomers a memorable one as the 2023 Frontier League Pitcher of the Year helped the Boomers to a 4-3 win over the Florence Y’Alls in the series opener on Friday night.
Cook struck out the side in the first inning to announce his presence and fanned the first five batters he faced while retiring the first 13 hitters of the game. The Boomers were also having problems getting runners across but finally gave Cook the lead with a single run in the bottom of the fifth. Brett Milazzo became the first leadoff hitter from either side to reach, scoring the game’s first run on an RBI single from Tyler Depreta-Johnson.
The lead grew to 4-0 behind a run in the sixth on a Ryan McCarthy RBI single and two in the seventh on consecutive two-out doubles from Christian Fedko and Chase Dawson. Florence scored three runs in the top of the eighth and had the tying run in scoring position in the eighth and ninth but Jake Joyce was able to preserve the win with his third save to open the season.
Cook threw seven shutout innings and struck out 11, allowing just three hits. The offense was limited to seven hits but made the most of them to record another close victory. Five of the six wins this season have been by three runs or less. Dawson finished with two hits, reaching base three times. Depreta-Johnson extended his hitting streak to seven.
The first homestand of the year will come to a close with a 3:00pm game on Saturday afternoon. RHP Jackson Hickert (1-0, 3.00) is slated to start for the Boomers against LHP Blake Loubier (0-1, 15.75). The final game of the homestand will serve as the first Bark in the Park presented by Golf Rose Animal Hospital and will also feature pregame catch on the field and pregame autographs. Tickets for all games in the 2024 season are on sale now! Make plans to be part of the fun this summer! Visit www.boomersbaseball.com or call 847-461-3695 to secure yours.