SAUGET, Ill. — The Schaumburg Boomers were able to hold off the Gateway Grizzlies and sweep the best-of-five Midwest Conference Finals, scoring a 4-2 decision on the road Friday night to reach the championship series for the sixth time in franchise history.

Schaumburg opened the scoring in the fourth inning for the second consecutive contest. Banks Tolley drew a two-out walk and Nick Podkul followed with a double off the wall. Aaron Simmons put the Boomers on the board with an opposite field bloop to left and Alex Calarco followed with a single up the middle to score Podkul. Gateway drew within 2-1 on a solo homer from Cole Brannen in the bottom of the fifth.

Kyle Fitzgerald extended the lead in the seventh with a two-run homer to hand the Boomers their largest lead of the game at 4-1. Gateway scored a run in the seventh but was denied a chance to potentially tie the game on a diving catch by Simmons in left. Caleb Riedel stranded the tying runs on base in the eighth with back-to-back strikeouts. Gateway again put the tying runs on base in the bottom of the ninth but Mitch White punctuated the sweep with a strikeout.

Buddie Pindel earned the win by allowing one run over his six innings, walking one and striking out five. White recorded his first save of the postseason. Dylan Stutsman, Dallas Woolfolk and Riedel all pitched in the win. Schaumburg finished with 11 hits. All nine members of the lineup reached base again in the win. Chase Dawson and Alex Calarco both finished with two hits.

The Boomers (58-38, 5-0) will open the best-of-five Frontier League Championship Series on the road Tuesday night against either Quebec or Tri-City.