By Jacob Cotsonika
After only mustering two runs in a loss during their first game of the series against Battle Creek, the Royal Oak Leprechauns were able to plate nine runs and earn a split against the Battle Jacks on Tuesday night. The victory also snapped a three-game losing streak.
Battle Creek scored the first run of the ballgame in the bottom of the first, the Leprechauns responded in a big way during the top of the third. With the top of the order starting things on, Matt Ineich (West Virginia commit) worked a walk. That was immediately followed by a double by Ryan Tyranski (Cincinnati), an RBI single from Tristan Crane (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) and then a two-RBI double from Devan Zirwas (Eastern Michigan). That sequence allowed three runs to come across, and two more eventually came around after a Battle Creek error and a bases-loaded walk for Ineich, his second base on balls of the inning.
Royal Oak then added to it in the fourth after Chase Van Ameyde (Notre Dame) barreled a two-out, RBI double that got over the Battle Creek centerfielder’s head that extended the lead to 6-1.
It also helped that the Leprechauns got a nice start from Michigan’s Justin Brown. The Northville native gave his squad five innings of work, only allowing one earned run. Brown also struck out six compared to just one walk. Battle Creek was able to get two unearned runs across on him during the fifth inning to make it 6-3, though.
The Battle Jacks were able to make things interesting, too. Halen Otte (Whitman College) hit a two-run home run to dead center field in the seventh to make it a one-run game.
That margin didn’t hold for long. Royal Oak was partially gifted an insurance run during the bottom of the eighth. After Ineich hit a single, he then stole second, but the throw from home plate was errant, as was the throw from center field when he went for third. One stolen base for him, two errors to the Battle Jacks, and a 7-5 lead to Royal Oak.
After a 1-2-3 eighth inning from Luke Coll (Appalachian State) in the bottom of the eighth, the Leprechauns then scored their final two runs of the game in the top of the ninth. Van Ameyde had an RBI single and then showed off his baserunning by coming home on a passed ball during a play where he was started on second and was stealing third.
Fischer Hendershot (Eastern Michigan) then threw a scoreless inning in the ninth to end it.
Four Royal Oak batters ended up with multi-hit days. Tyranski and Crane led the way with three apiece. Zirwas and Van Ameyde both had two base knocks and were also the only Leprechauns with multiple RBIs. As a whole, Royal Oak racked up an even dozen hits.
It was also a good day for the pitching staff. Royal Oak’s pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts to just three walks and six hits allowed. The team’s arms didn’t throw a wild pitch or hit a batter, either. In comparison, Battle Creek struck out nine to eight walks along with one wild pitch and one hit batter.
Now, the 8-7 Leprechauns will turn their attention to a three-game series against the 8-5 Madison Mallards. Royal Oak has faced Madison once this season, a 10-3 road loss on June 2. The first two games of that set — Wednesday and Thursday — will be at home. The final game of the series will be played at Madison on Friday. Both of the games at The Lucky Corner are set for 6:35 p.m. ET. Wednesday’s game can be viewed for free on NWL+ and Thursday’s contest will be on ESPN+.
