By Noah Chavez
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Riding the momentum of two big wins in Richmond, the Royal Oak Leprechauns extended their winning streak to seven games, taking both games of a doubleheader on Friday night against the Traverse City Pit Spitters.
After poor air quality postponed Thursday’s contest, the game was rescheduled to be a part of a pair of seven-inning games on Friday.
In the opener, Royal Oak took a third-inning lead and never looked back, claiming a big 14-0 victory. While the game initially was close, the Leprechauns really broke it open in the fifth, a frame where they scored seven of their runs.
On the bump, Spencer Boynton continued his tremendous season, tossing six shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts and just three hits allowed. With his performance, Boynton earned the honor of Northwoods League Pitcher of the Night for July 17, the second time he has earned that distinction this season.
Offensively, everything seemed to work for the team, but both Carson Raether and Jordan Lewis stood out from the rest. Each reached base four times, with Raether going 3-4 with 4 RBIs and a walk, while Lewis went 2-3 with 2 RBIs and two walks.
In game two, while the offense did not score as frequently, they still got the job done with a 4-3 comeback win.
Trailing 3-1 going into the seventh and final inning, Mason Barth pinch-hit and on a 1-1 count, launched a two-run home run well over the left field fence to tie the game. Just four batters later, Luke Kosko would wind up driving in the winning run on an RBI single, and Kellen English would shut down the Pit Spitters in the bottom of the inning to close out the win.
Following the end of the road trip, the Leprechauns will enjoy their final scheduled off day of the regular season before the Flying Mummies travel to Royal Oak for the start of a four-game set. First pitch on Tuesday 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.
