SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The West Division Champion Schaumburg Boomers used quality pitching and solid defense to dispose of the Joliet Slammers 3-1 on Tuesday night in the opener of the final regular season series.

Shawn Sanford made his third start since joining the team in a trade at the transaction deadline and threw six innings, allowing just one run on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Sanford was handed a 2-0 lead when the Boomers plated a pair of runs in the second. Steve McQuail led the home half of the frameoff with his 20th homer of the season to match his team record from 2012. Keith Werman registered an RBI single later in the frame to drive home Alexi Colon.

Joliet trimmed the lead to 2-1 with a run in the sixth but a Michael Valadez sacrifice fly in the seventh accounted for the final margin. Matt Kuna and James Bierlein held the lead in the seventh and eighth for Dexter Price, who preserved the win with his 16th save of the year. 

The Boomers (59-35) have won four straight and own the top record in the league. The final series of the regular season continues on Wednesday night with another 6:30 p.m. contest. RHP Seth Webster (6-1, 2.19) is scheduled to make his start for the Boomers against RHP Mike Barsotti (1-3, 3.02).

Playoff tickets are on sale now. Schaumburg opens the playoffs at home on September 7 at 8:00 p.m. Reserve your piece of the action by calling 847.461.3695 or visiting www.boomersbaseball.com.