By Jacob Cotsonika

A seven-run sixth inning for the Battle Creek was the main difference on Wednesday night, as the Battle Jacks took down the Royal Oak Leprechauns, 10-6. 

Royal Oak entered the top of the frame with a 4-2 lead, but then 12 Battle Creek hitters came to the plate. Five of them recorded hits, but the inning was also pushed along by three errors from the Leprechaun defense — three of the runs in the collapse went down as unearned. 

The Leprechauns’ six runs were scattered throughout the contest. Royal Oak got one in the first to take an early lead when a run came across during a double play. 

After Battle Creek scored in the second to tie it up, Parker Brzustewicz (Notre Dame) plated a run with an RBI single in the fourth — his first hit and run batted in as a Leprechaun. Brzustewicz then came through an inning later with a two-RBI single in the fifth that gave Royal Oak its lead. Brzustewicz ended up going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two walks in his debut with the team.

Following the collapse in the top of the sixth, the Leprechauns scored one in the bottom of the sixth after an RBI single by Aidan Schuck (Oakland) and one in the ninth, when Schuck came across on a wild pitch.

Some other notable performances for Royal Oak included a 2.1-inning outing from Ayden VanEnkevort (Grand Valley State) on the mound and a three-inning day for Colton Jones (Florida Gulf Coast) where he only allowed one unearned run.

The Leprechauns, now 5-4 in the second half and 22-23 overall, will now start a two-game road series against the Kenosha Kingfish for Thursday and Friday. Royal Oak’s next home series will be against the Traverse City Pit Spitters on this upcoming Saturday and Sunday.