By Noah Chavez
ROYAL OAK, Mich. – In an eventful penultimate game of the regular season, the Royal Oak Leprechauns clinched a spot in the postseason, defeating the Kalamazoo Growlers by a score of 4-3. With the win, the Leprechauns clinched the second-half Great Lakes East title, and ensured that their summer of shenanigans would continue on for at least two more games.
In what was the biggest start of the summer for the right-hander, Jack Sequin rose to the occasion, tossing seven innings while allowing just two runs to opposing hitters.
Although Royal Oak trailed for the majority of the game, late-inning heroics have often been prevalent at Memorial Park, and Friday night was no different. With two outs and two runners aboard in the bottom of the seventh, Mason Barth found himself at the plate.
Just two innings earlier, Barth had the same scenario when he stepped into the box, but popped out on the first pitch of that at-bat. Not letting the earlier failure deter him, Barth provided the most consequential swing in Leprechauns history, launching a three-run homer over the left-center field fence, and putting Royal Oak into the lead for the first time all night, making the score 4-2.
The job however, was not done, and with the Growlers scratching across a run in the eighth, Ethan Reidy looked for the save in the top of the ninth. Although two Kalamazoo hitters reached scoring position, Reidy slammed the door on the Growlers for the second time in less than a week, earning the save and securing the historic win for the Leprechauns.
While the final game of the regular season on Saturday having no consequences on playoff seeding, Royal Oak and Kalamazoo battled hard, but the Growlers ended their year with a 5-3 win, as the Leprechauns had a good final tune-up before the playoffs.
The 2026 Northwoods League Postseason begins on Sunday, when Royal Oak begins their quest for a championship with Game 1 of the Great Lakes East Sub-Divisional Series against the Kenosha Kingfish. To start, the Leprechauns will host Game 1 before the series shifts to Kenosha for Game 2 and a potential winner-take-all Game 3. First pitch from for the opening 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.
Should Royal Oak continue on in the postseason, they would play on the road in the Great Lakes East Championship, taking place on Wednesday in either Madison or Lakeshore, before traveling westward again for the 2026 Northwoods League Championship Game, currently scheduled for Thursday, August 13.
