After starting the season on a three-game losing streak, the Royal Oak Leprechauns ran away with their first win as a member of the Northwoods League, defeating Lakeshore 19-10 on Thursday afternoon.
“That was great,” Royal Oak head coach Jonathan Vance said. “The offense responds, especially when you lose a heartbreaking game like last night. To be able to put up a seven spot in the bottom half of the first, that’s great to see.”
Royal Oak’s first win of the year comes on the heels of a heartbreaking defeat Wednesday night, as sure victory turned into defeat after AJ Kostic was unable to make it to reach first base after hitting what appeared to be a walk-off, two-RBI single with two outs after getting hurt on the swing.
After falling down 2-0 in the top of the first, the Leprechauns proceeded to score 19 unanswered runs. They scored in six of the first seven innings, with five plating at least two runs.
The avalanche began after Royal Oak’s first inning was extended on an error, which gave them a 3-2 lead.
Brock Olmstead hit an RBI single thereafter. Then, Akron’s Evan Bottone hit a three-run blast to right to give Royal Oak a commanding 7-2 lead it never relinquished.
“The third pitch, you know, breaking ball,” Bottone said. “Found barrel, turned on it, watched it go.”
Bottone’s monster day ended with a 3-for-5 line with the home run, four RBIs, three runs, and a walk. He wasn’t alone.
Seven Leprechauns had multi-hit performances. Five had three-hit performances, all coming from the five spot in the order and beyond.
Royal Oak’s Cam Hollobaugh, Tony Hatzigeorgiou and Olmstead all had three RBIs to match their three-hit performances. Riley Frost, the other Leprechaun with three hits, had one RBI on a single in the fifth inning.
The scoreboard read a shocking 19-2 after seven innings. Lakeshore added eight total runs in the eighth and ninth innings to make the score more respectable.
Overall, the massive offensive day resulted in 21 total hits and the largest run total of the year so far in the entire Northwoods League.
Although Lakeshore ended with 10 runs, Royal Oak’s pitching shone through in the victory as well. Leprechaun pitchers Macio Miller and Alejandro Espinoza were huge in developing Royal Oak’s eventual 17-run cushion.
Miller gave up two runs in the first, but was able to keep Lakeshore off the board in the second and third innings. Espinoza handed in four scoreless innings in relief, allowing just two hits and striking out five.
The Leprechauns, now 1-3, will look to compound on their first victory of the year in a home doubleheader against the 0-4 Kokomo Jackrabbits. The first game is scheduled for 1:05 p.m., with game two set for 6:35 p.m. Following Friday, the Leprechauns get a day off before heading to play two more games with Kokomo on the road.
