By Jacob Cotsonika
For the second consecutive day, 20 combined runs came across for the Royal Oak Leprechauns and the Traverse City Pit Spitters in Turtle Creek Stadium. After the Leprechauns decisively won 17-3 on Saturday, the Pit Spitters were able to get some payback on Sunday, as Royal Oak let an 11-9 result get past them. This was also the team’s 100th game as members of the Northwoods League.
On a hot, 92-degree day in front of just over 2,000 people, the Leprechaun offense got out to a hot start. Royal Oak scored in each of the game’s first four frames and had multiple runs across during each of the first three. The issue is that Traverse City’s offense was able to keep up and then some. Through four innings, the only zero on the scoreboard for any team was the Pit Spitters’ first inning.
The Leprechauns scored two in the first, three in the second, two in the third, and one in the fourth. Traverse City plated two in the second, three in the third, and four in the fourth to grab a 9-8 lead.
From that point on, the game slowed down a lot. Both bullpens performed well. Between the fifth and eighth innings, the only runs that came across was a two-spot for the Pit Spitters in the seventh that made it 11-8.
Royal Oak put together a modest comeback attempt in the ninth. Matt Ineich (West Virginia) hit an RBI double that made it 11-9 and Ryan Tyranski (Cincinnati) worked a walk to get the tying run on base, but the Leprechauns couldn’t get him further than first base.
In total, Royal Oak actually had 14 hits, five more than it had Saturday during its 17-run game. Aidan Schuck (Oakland) had a four-hit game to lead both teams. Ineich was also very productive with three hits in the game and also drew a walk and got hit by a pitch. Owen Turner (Yale) also had a two-hit day that included a double.
This loss drops Royal Oak to 12-16 on the season and 3.5 games out of first place with eight games remaining in the first half of the season. Traverse City improved to 15-12 and a tie for first with the 14-11 Kalamazoo Growlers.
Next, the Leprechauns will begin another two-game road series against those Growlers to conclude the team’s eight-game, seven-day road trip. Those two games are set for Monday and Tuesday and both will begin at 6:35 p.m. ET. Royal Oak and Kalamazoo split a two-game set in Memorial Park to open the season on May 26 and 27.
The Leprechauns’ next home game is on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.
