By Noah Chavez
RICHMOND, Mich. – To begin the longest road trip of the summer, the Royal Oak Leprechauns have extended their winning streak to a season-high five games, taking back-to-back contests against the Richmond Flying Mummies.
Starting the series off with a 12-2 win, Royal Oak played well in all phases of the game to run away with the series opener. Starter Jon Whiteside mowed through the Richmond order, striking out seven hitters in 5.2 innings, allowing just one earned run.
In terms of offense, while the team only tallied six hits, they drew 11 walks and stayed patient at the plate all night. Standout Connor Larkin worked three walks, but his best plate appearance came on an eighth inning three-run home run.
Patrick Ilitch, Owen Turner, and Tate Deal also collected at least one hit and multiple RBIs, which helped the Leprechauns score in six of their last seven innings at the dish.
On Wednesday, the series finale provided just as much positive momentum for Royal Oak, with a six-run sixth inning leading the way for a 9-1 victory to clinch the sweep.
Once again, starting pitching stood out, with right-hander Charlie Dieruf tossing six innings while surrendering just one run.
Defensively, Royal Oak was perfect behind Dieruf, especially middle infielders Mateo Noto and Jordan Lewis, making several difficult plays look routine.
With the bats, Lewis, along with Michael Zielinski and Luke Kosko, all had multiple hits on the night. Kosko, launching his team-leading 11th home run of the season, also paced the team with 3 RBIs, continuing his strong campaign.
With Royal Oak now owning the longest active winning streak in the Northwoods League, the Leprechauns will head to Traverse City to face the Pit Spitters in a fight for first place in the Great Lakes East.
Following the trip up north, Royal Oak will then take on Rockford on the road before finally arriving back home for a Tuesday, July 21 contest against Richmond at Memorial Park. First pitch for the game at The Lucky Corner is set for 6:35 p.m. ET.
Tickets can be purchased on the team’s website or at the gate. Fans can also follow the team across all social platforms to stay up to date.
