ROYAL OAK, Mich. — The Richmond Flying Mummies (6-4) are on the road for six games following a four-game home stand, beginning Thursday evening against the Royal Oak Leprechauns (6-4) for the first of a back-to-back.
Richmond and Royal Oak sit tied for second in the Great Lakes East division, 1.5 games back of the Kalamazoo Growlers.
Following two losses to Kalamazoo on Sunday and Monday, Richmond rebounded with two wins against the Kenosha Kingfish across Tuesday and Wednesday’s contests, the latter a 5-2 victory that saw starting pitcher Kai Keamo deliver nine strikeouts in five innings, and key hitting from 1B Eli Bennett, whose two-RBI single in the fifth inning propelled the Mummies ahead, 3-1.
The defining performance Wednesday, however, was a myriad of sensational defensive efforts from the home team. Second baseman Peyton Bittle and shortstop Jimmy Chadwell each had inning-ending solo double-plays in the seventh and eighth, respectively, while Bennett showcased his versatility with a back-handed stop on a grounder in the ninth before flipping the ball to closer Conner Vanderluitgaren covering first base for the inning’s second out. Richmond currently ranks first in the Northwoods League in fielding percentage (.980), third in double plays (32), and has committed the third-least errors (7).
Meanwhile, for Royal Oak, offense is the name of the game. The Leprechauns post a team batting average of .261 (5th), with 88 total hits (T-4th), 59 RBI (6th), and a .402 on-base percentage (3rd), scoring 70 runs across the first ten games (7th). Nolan Alvord has been raking to start the season, batting .500 with ten hits, while Oliver Service and Lucas Mead have each knocked 12 hits with four doubles. Luke Kosko is the power-hitter of the group, having launched three home runs and posting a team-high 12 RBI.
Testing those batters in the first game for the Flying Mummies is Nick Julian (1-0), making his second start this season. Julian picked up the win in Richmond’s 9-5 victory over the Battle Creek Battle Jacks, pitching four innings while giving up six hits, three runs, three walks, and striking out four. On the mound for Royal Oak in his fourth appearance is Blake Ilitch (1-1), who has posted a 3.86 ERA in seven innings pitched for the Leprechauns.
First pitch from Memorial Park is scheduled for 6:35 PM EST. A livestream is available on FloSports.
###
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.
