SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The Schaumburg Boomers led nearly the entire contest and held off a ninth inning rally to topple the Washington Wild Things 6-4 at Wintrust Field on Wednesday night in the middle game of the series and gain a game in the standings.

Schaumburg jumped ahead by scoring in the bottom of the first for the second consecutive game in the series. A pair of runs scored on a two-out error. Washington immediately evened the game in the second on a two-run homer from Melvin Novoa with two outs. Blake Berry again put Schaumburg in front with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third.

Washington pulled within 4-3 in the sixth but the Boomers added two huge insurance runs in the last of the eighth to take a 6-3 advantage. Alec Craig lifted a sacrifice fly and an RBI single from Travis Holt. The insurance was needed as Washington loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth but Kristian Scott was able to close out the win to earn his first save, breaking a brief two-game skid.

Luis Perez allowed three runs in six innings and did not walk a batter, striking out five to earn his seventh win of the year. Gaige Howard totaled three hits as the Boomers amassed 13. Holt, Berry and Kokko Figueiredo all notched a pair.

The Boomers (50-35) are closing in on securing a third consecutive playoff appearance for the first time in franchise history. The magic number to clinch a playoff spot currently sits at one following action on Wednesday. Gateway lost to Windy City as the Boomers pulled within two games of first in the West Division. The final game of the series is an early contest on Thursday at 12:00pm on a Business Day Game presented by Fox Valley Fire. Bring the office out for a day at the ballpark. RHP Hunter Hoopes (4-1, 3.66) is scheduled to start for the Boomers against LHP Kobe Foster (5-5, 2.86). Don’t miss out on your chance to catch the Boomers in the playoff race. Visit boomersbaseball.com or call 847-461-3695 to secure your tickets.