Entering the final inning of the summer, Royal Oak held a 6-3 advantage over the Rockford Rivets on Saturday.
Four hits, an error and a hit by pitch later, Rockford held an 8-6 lead that stood.
“It’s kind of poetic justice that we lose the game in that way,” said Leprechauns head coach Jonathan Vance. “Free passes, then we boot a ball, and then the big hit happens.”
The Rivets led off the top of the ninth with two infield singles. Ivan Dahlberg then hit a game-tying, three-run homer to center.
The hit by pitch and error followed. With a tie game and two outs in the frame, Will Couchman delivered a two-RBI single to give Rockford its first lead of the game.
“That’s kind of been our MO all year,” Vance said. “The free passes, defensively and from the pitching staff, and then all of a sudden the big hit happens.”
Vance will continue his work as the pitching coach at Northwood University, where he brought multiple players over from.
The Leprechauns end their season with the third-most walks, second-most hit by pitches and seventh-most errors issued in the Northwoods League.
The three-run lead in the ninth was also not the only such lead relinquished by Royal Oak in this game. The Leprechauns scored one run in the second and two in the third to take an early 3-0 lead.
Rockford responded with two in the fifth and one in the sixth to tie the game. Royal Oak immediately got its runs back with three runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Two of those runs were on a two-RBI double by Joe Turner, who had exclusively been a pitcher for the Leprechauns before this contest.
“He’s a two-way,” Vance said. “He’s definitely only here to throw and get his work on the mound, but he’s hit batting practice a few times.”
Turner had hit .398 at Henry Ford Community College this past collegiate season. He was the lone Leprechaun with a multi-hit game.
Regardless, there are many reasons for optimism around the Leprechaun organization. The team had its best winning percentage since 2021 and seemed to adjust well to a schedule that was 34 games longer than last year’s.
Royal Oak had gotten as high as four games above .500, and was very much in the second half playoff race before the roster got thinned out by injuries and player departures.
The Leprechauns ended up seeing four players drafted this year, two being from this year’s squad: Jake Jekielek and Griffin Kilander.
Four Royal Oak players were named all-stars: Jekielek, Alejandro Espinoza, Parker Picot and Michael Lareau. Lareau ended up being the only one to officially represent the team during the festivities in Mankato, Minnesota.
All in all, there is much to be proud about, with the team looking towards year two.
“Our guys busted their tail,” Vance said. “Played their butts off all year. As a coach, that’s all you can ask.”
