The 2012 season started with a bang last night as the Boomers shutout the Lake Erie Crushers, a Frontier League playoff team in 2011, by the score of 4-0. The win was the first in franchise history and also marked the first shutout. Starting pitcher Robby Donovan threw five shutout innings, striking out the side in the first.

Firsts were coming all over the place, beginning in the first inning when Gerard Hall picked up the first hit in franchise history with two outs. Hall came around to score two batters later when Nate Baumann poked the first pitch he saw in professional baseball into left-center for a run scoring single.

Tonight, the everyday nature of the season gets rolling with the second of a three-game stint in suburban Cleveland, game two of 96. How can the first place Boomers follow up the success of last night? What changes if any will there be in the lineup? The Boomers only posted four hits yesterday and the last 15 batters of the game were all retired in order by the Lake Erie bullpen. Schaumburg did draw three walks and was hit by a pitch twice.

The first ever left-hander to take the hill in a Boomers uniform receives the start as LHP Cameron Roth, who pitched 10 innings in the spring, makes his Boomer debut. Roth spent two seasons with the Orioles organization and was used as both a starter and a reliever. The Virginia native played in the Class-A South Atlantic League with Delmarva last season.

Lake Erie counters with Eric Gonzalez-Diaz. Hailing from Spain, Gonzalez-Diaz fought visa issues to get into the country last season and started just six games for the Crushers late in the year but posted a 4-1 record with a 3.11 ERA in 37.2 innings.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CDT.