Freedom Beat Boomers to Take Series
Published on August 1, 2018 under Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release
SCHAUMBURG, Il - In a businessman's special, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, jumped on top of the Schaumburg Boomers and never looked back in an, 8-3, victory, sealing a series win at Boomers Stadium on Wednesday afternoon while taking over first-place in the West Division. The Normal CornBelters entered today a .5 game up on Florence, and will take the field in Washington tonight with a chance to reclaim the top spot with a win.
Harrison White ambushed Schaumburg (35-33) starter, Kit Fowler's (0-6) first pitch of the game, lacing a sharply hit single to right to set the tone for the Freedom (35-33) in the top of the first. Two batters later, Jordan Brower drove an opposite-field double to left, putting runners at second and third for Skyler Ewing. Ewing responded by putting the visiting team on top, 3-0, lifting a towering blast to left for his team-leading tenth round-tripper of the season. Florence would increase their lead to five in the second, adding a pair of unearned runs after Kenny Town's second error of the season allowed Jimmy Heck to reach first. With two-outs and Heck at second, White attacked another first pitch fastball and shot a single to right again, this time scoring a run as the score became, 4-0. Caleb Lopes came up next, and plated the final run of the frame with his fourteenth double of the season, matching Keivan Berges for most on the club.
The Boomers would get two back off Jordan Kraus (6-4) in the home half of the second, thanks to a sacrifice-fly from Darrell Miller Jr. and a Jack Parenty RBI-single that trimmed the Freedom lead to three. Parenty would go on to tally four hits out of the lead-off spot in the affair. Kraus would hold the Boomers to those two runs over his 5.2 innings of work, tallying his sixth win while falling one out short of his team-best eighth quality start. The right-hander consistently danced out of trouble, helping strand 14 Boomers on base in the ballgame, scattering nine hits with two walks and one punch-out.
Fowler began to find his form after the early barrage, tallying six of his seven strikeouts from the third inning forward. The righty did make one mistake in the top of the sixth however, challenging Keivan Berges with a fastball that the left-fielder laced over the wall in left, a solo-shot, that gave him four runs batted in over his last three games, and 39 on the season. Fowler would get yanked after 6.2 innings, having surrendered six Freedom runs (four earned) on six hits with two walks and seven whiffs.
Trailing, 6-2, in the bottom of the eighth, the Boomers made it a three-run game off Florence reliever, Sam Martin. Martin would retire the first two men he faced, but allowed three straight hits, including a Nick Oddo RBI-single that closed the gap to, 6-3. Tyler Gibson would replace Martin on the bump, rolling a ground-out to third from the only batter he faced over .1 of an inning.
More two-out hitting awaited in the Freedom half of the ninth. On for his second inning of relief, Dylan Stutsman induced a pinch-hitting Ricky Ramirez Jr. into a come-backer and got Wobrock to pop-up for two quick outs. White would extend the inning, however tapping an infield single before Lopes worked a walk. Boomers manager Jamie Bennett then called on lefty Darrell Thompson to face the left-handed hitting, Jordan Brower, but Brower battled his way to a base on balls, loading the bags for Ewing. The clean-up man delivered again, scorching a two-run single to right as Florence jumped in front, 8-3.
Though no longer a save situation, Johnathon Tripp toed the slab in search of the final three outs for the second game in a row. The closer watched the Boomers load the bases, but got Miller Jr. to line-out to right to end the game with the Freedom five-run edge still intact. Tripp fanned one and walked one, giving him 36 and 11 respectively, over 29 innings in 2018.
With the win, Florence has taken four of five from the defending Champions in regular season action, earning a pair of series victories in the process. Now, the Freedom will set their sights on a series sweep in the finale at Boomers Stadium on Thursday. Right-hander Steve Hagen will take the ball for the visitors, opposite fellow righty Gunnar Kines of Schaumburg with first pitch slated for 6:30 p.m. CT.
The Florence Freedom are members of the Independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY. The Freedom can be found online at florencefreedom.com, or by phone at (859) 594-4487.
Frontier League Stories from August 1, 2018
- ThunderBolts Fall on 12th-Inning Walk - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Miners Sweep Doubleheader with Pair of Shutouts - Southern Illinois Miners
- Otters Can't Overcame Six-Run First in Loss to Slammers - Evansville Otters
- Beach Bums Fall in Two Pitchers Duels - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Roa's Four-RBI Performance Carries Wild Things to Fifth-Straight Win - Washington Wild Things
- Freedom Beat Boomers to Take Series - Florence Y'alls
- MacNabb Dominates in Grizzlies' 7-1 Win - Gateway Grizzlies
- Boomers Strand 14 in Fourth Straight Defeat - Schaumburg Boomers
- Grizzlies Roll Past Crushers - Lake Erie Crushers
- Legends Game this Saturday - Normal CornBelters
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