SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The Joliet Slammers scored four runs over the final three innings to notch a 5-2 decision over the Schaumburg Boomers in the opener of a weekend series at Wintrust Field on Friday night.

Aaron Simmons blasted a homer to right in the bottom of the second to open the scoring, his fifth longball of the year. Joliet tied the game in the top of the third with a two-out run against Schaumburg starter Brendan Knoll. Tyler Depreta-Johnson led off the third with a double and scored on a throw to second to put the Boomers ahead again. The lead held until the seventh inning when Joliet scored twice and added single runs of insurance in the eighth and ninth to claim the victory in the opener.

Knoll worked six innings and allowed just one run but did not factor in the decision after exiting with the lead. The pitching staff issued eight walks after walking nine at Florence on Thursday. The offense notched seven hits led by three from newcomer Ty Crittenberger. The University of Kentucky product owns five hits in his first two games with the team. The loss marked the third in a row where Schaumburg saw a lead slip away late in the game.

The Boomers (25-18) continue the series with the middle game against Joliet on Saturday night at 6:30pm. The game will feature the second of four postgame fireworks displays on the homestand and the first 1,500 fans will receive a Boomers T-Shirt thanks to Blink Tees and isolved. RHP Jackson Hickert (4-0, 5.04) looks to be the stopper for the Boomers against RHP Zac Westcott (3-4, 4.88), the league’s all-time leader in strikeouts. Tickets for and all games at Wintrust Field in the 2024 season are on sale now! Make plans to be part of the fun this summer before it’s too late! Visit boomersbaseball.com or call 847-461-3695 to secure yours.