The 2013 Frontier League Champion Schaumburg Boomers, presented by Wintrust Financial, opened their title defense with an 11-3 road loss to the Lake Erie Crushers on opening night.

Schaumburg fell behind quickly 3-0, but rallied to even the game at 3-3. Consecutive run-scoring infield singles from Michael Valadez and Sean Mahley in the fourth brought the Boomers within a run while Brian McConkey evened the game with a fielder’s choice in the fifth. Lake Erie immediately retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth and piled on four in the sixth to pull away. The Boomers registered seven hits in the loss but drew nine walks while striking out 15 times. Mahley posted two hits in the loss. Starter Cal Bowling struck out seven in five innings, allowing four runs.

Game two of the season is on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. RHP Charlie Rosario (0-0, 0.00) starts for the Boomers opposite LHP Connor Whelan (0-0, 0.00). Reserve your piece of the fun at Boomers Stadium this season by calling 847.461.3695 or visiting www.boomersbaseball.com.