Attendance Records Fall as Boomers Drop Middle Game
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The Schaumburg Boomers set the single game record for attendance for the third time this season as 7,914 were in attendance at Wintrust Field to witness a 7-6 defeat at the hands of the Gateway Grizzlies. The Boomers also set the single season attendance mark with four home dates remaining, breaking the mark of 210,115 set last year.
Chase Dawson put the Boomers on the board in the bottom of the first with his 122nd hit, setting the single season record for hits by breaking a tie with Frank Pfister, who set the mark in the inaugural season of 2012. Gateway took the lead with two runs in the second and added a run in the top of the fourth to lead 3-1 before the Boomers plated four runs in the fourth. Will Prater knocked home a run, Brett Milazzo lifted a sacrifice fly and Kokko Figueiredo added an RBI double while another run scored on an error.
Gateway evened the game in the fifth behind two runs and opened a 7-5 advantage with two more in the sixth. Dawson opened the seventh with his second hit of the game and promptly stole his 47th base of the year before scoring on an RBI groundout to bring the Boomers within a run. The tying run reached base in the bottom of the ninth but Gateway was able to hold on for the win in the game between the top two teams in the West Division.
Juan Pichardo made a spot start for the Boomers and worked 4.2 innings. Cristian Lopez suffered the loss in relief. John Fiorenza, Gaige Howard and Dawson all posted two hits.
The Boomers (51-37), having already secured a playoff slot for the third consecutive year, will conclude the homestand on Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm in a pivotal rubber game for the division race. Bring your furry friends for a day at the ballpark that’s all about them with a Bark in the Park presented by Golf Rose Animal Hospital. There will also be pre-game catch on the field and post-game autographs. Don’t miss out on your chance to catch the Boomers before the year comes to a close next weekend. Visit boomersbaseball.com or call 847-461-3695 to secure your tickets.
