RICHMOND, Ind. — The Richmond Flying Mummies (12-10) welcome the Royal Oak Leprechauns (12-10) for an extended stay in east-central Indiana on Wednesday, beginning a four-game series over the next three days.
Wednesday’s game is Racing Night at Historic Don McBride Stadium, with the first 500 fans receiving commemorative rally towels from the Flying Mummies and Winchester Speedway. The festivities also stretch into the parking lot, where fans can interact with actual race cars, and meet and take pictures with drivers.
Richmond is reeling from a 1-and-1 series split against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks at home, experiencing the highest of highs in a 9-1 win on Monday, followed by a 13-4 trouncing courtesy of the visitors on Tuesday.
The past two days of results across the Great Lakes East division cements its claim as the closest race to the top in the league. The Flying Mummies and Leprechauns share a three-way tie for second with the Kenosha Kingfish, all just one game behind the first place Kalamazoo Growlers (13-9), and one game ahead of the Traverse City Pit Spitters (11-11).
Royal Oak comes to town winners of the last three straight, including back-to-back wins over the Rockford Rivets. Lucas Mead paces the squad with a .359 batting average and 23 hits, riding an eight-game hit streak into Wednesday’s matchup. Not to be much outdone, Luke Kosko co-leads with 18 RBI, batting an equally formidable .310. As a team, the Leprechauns like to score in droves, posting the sixth-highest run total (138) and seventh most RBI (116) in the Northwoods League.
Just as, if not more fear-inducing is the visitors’ pitching rotation that dons a league-best 3.92 ERA, allowing a league-low 140 hits and fifth-lowest run total (109).
Seeking a dominant pitching performance of his own for the Flying Mummies is Nick Julian (1-0, 3.46 ERA), last tossing five innings as the starter in Richmond’s 14-13 win in 12 innings over the Rockford Rivets, allowing six hits and two runs (one earned), issuing two walks, and striking out five. On the other end is Blake Ilitch (1-2, 4.50 ERA), an Ole Miss product who took the loss in Royal Oak’s 8-6 to the Kenosha Kingfish on June 12th after pitching two innings and giving up one-hit, two earned runs, and walking five while recording one strikeout.
The two teams previously split a pair of games in Royal Oak on June 4th and 5th, as the Mummies took game one 7-3, and the Leprechauns snagged the second, 10-6.
First pitch from McBride Stadium is scheduled for 6:35 PM EST, with gates opening one hour prior. Fans can purchase tickets at the gate, or online via the Richmond Flying Mummies website. A livestream is also available on FloSports.
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The Richmond Flying Mummies are a proud member of the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 410 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (BAL) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM). League games are viewable live on FloSports.tv.
