TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Fresh off a 4-and-2 homestand, the Richmond Flying Mummies (15-11) head back on the road for six straight games, beginning with a weekend of integral matchups against the Traverse City Pit Spitters (15-11).

Most recently welcoming the Royal Oak Leprechauns to McBride Stadium, the Mummies took care of business on Thursday, winning both ends of a double-header, before splitting two seven-inning games on Friday. The ups were extremely high for Richmond, including combining for a season-high 29 team hits across Thursday’s 13-7 and 6-4 victories, and holding Royal Oak to just four total hits in Friday’s 3-1 first game win behind a full-game performance from starting pitcher Danny Harris. But the downs were also very low, most notably allowing a 1-0 deficit entering the seventh inning of the final game to balloon to 13-0 in just half a frame, which proved to be the final score, the most runs allowed in an inning this season.

While Richmond missed a chance to enter the weekend tied for first place in the Great Lakes East division, the race remains razor-thin. The Kalamazoo Growlers (16-10) cling to a one-game lead ahead of the Flying Mummies and Pit Spitters, with the Kenosha Kingfish sitting another game back in fourth, and Leprechauns one game further behind in fifth. The division remains the tightest in the Northwoods League, as none other has more than two teams within three games of first.

Traverse City welcomes the Mummies riding a four-game win streak, after sweeping their own pair of home double-headers against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks. The two teams match up similarly across the major offensive categories, with the Pit Spitters scoring one more total run than the Flying Mummies, but Richmond ahead in hits, RBI, and batting average. Where Traverse City pull ahead is in the pitching battle, notably carrying a team ERA more than 1.2 points lower than Richmond’s.

Owen Weeks (1-0, 2.84 ERA) will look to shake that narrative for the Mummies, making his first start and sixth overall appearance of the season. On the other side is Connor Kelly (2-1, 2.85 ERA), his fourth start and fifth total nod this summer.

At the plate, Traverse City carries some heavy hitters. A dynamic duo of brothers who arrived earlier this month, Zach and Jacob Kucharzyk, are the most consistent batters on the team, with a .435 and .410 average, respectively. Ethan Guerra has knocked home the most hits (21) and RBI (19) this season, with two home runs to boot.

Richmond responds with some players of their own who have recently rounded into excellent form. Jackson Thomas is batting a team-high .390, riding a seven-game hit streak including a five-for-six performance. Cal Schembra has combined for eight hits, ten RBI, and a home run across his last three games, while Trent Lombardo accentuated the first two games against Royal Oak with a dinger in each.

The Flying Mummies and Pit Spitters will get to know each other very well across the next week, with games in Traverse City on Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and two in Richmond Friday and Saturday.

First pitch tonight is scheduled for 7:05 PM EST. 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.