The Rockford Rivets had a lead after only two batters and never relinquished it during their 6-3 win over the Leprechauns on Friday.
By the end of the top of the first, the Rivets had four runs and six hits. They added another run on two hits in the second.
“Actually, I think it was just a whole lot of bad luck,” said Royal Oak head coach Jonathan Vance. “I think probably only one of those balls were hit with an exit velocity over 80 mph.”
Despite the early deficit, Royal Oak made an amicable comeback attempt.
The Leprechauns got the bases loaded with nobody out in the ninth. With the tying run on first and winning run at the plate, they struck out three straight times to end the game. The first two went down looking.
“Not ideal by any means,” Vance said. “I might be the only person in America with this feeling, but if they truly think that something was a ball, I’m fine with them going down looking.”
The loss marks a fourth straight defeat for the Leprechauns. It seals a losing record in the organization’s inaugural season in the Northwoods League. Royal Oak has lost 10 of 14 since improving to 30-27 overall on July 25.
Regardless of the result of the final game, the Leprechauns will have its best winning percentage since 2021. That is with the adjustment from a 38-game schedule to 72 games and the movement to the NWL.
“[It’s been difficult] with guys coming in and out,” Vance said. “Schools shutting guys down with no real warning, and then guys just kind of bailing out, unfortunately. Baseball-wise, it hasn’t been much different. But keeping guys around, and getting enough guys to play 72 games has been a little bit of a challenge, but we’ve done really well with it.”
In total, 56 different players donned the Leprechauns uniform this year (including two different Ryan McKay’s). Only six have been with the team since Opening Day: Michael Lareau, Tony Hatzigeorgiou, Ryan Kruse, Gabe Jones, Nolan Coil and Stephen Ruhle. Lareau, Hatzigeorgiou and Kruse were all in the lineup tonight.
Hatzigeorgiou had a 2-for-3 day, including an RBI single in the fifth that plated Royal Oak’s first run of the game.
The Leprechauns’ other two runs came in the seventh. Oliver Service and Lucas Rick delivered back-to-back RBI singles with two outs in the inning.
Service’s performance gave him his third multi-hit game in six days. Rick, a late addition, has also recorded a base hit in all 10 games he has played with the Leprechauns this summer.
Royal Oak will look to end its summer on a positive note with a rematch against Rockford on Saturday. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and will be Fan Appreciation Night.
