Royal Oak secured its third straight win against Kokomo on Monday during a 4-2 game that came down to the final pitch.
“Another phenomenal job by our pitchers,” said Leprechauns head coach Jonathan Vance. “Our pitchers are really starting to get that with these wood bats and with this beautiful Lucky Corner that if you fill it up and the ball goes in the air that it’ll probably be an out.”
Gabe Jones got his second save of the summer, despite seeing the bases become loaded after retiring the first two batters of the inning. He got Jack Anderson to fly out during a full count to end the game.
Ryan Kruse recorded the third quality start for the Leprechauns in three games against the Jackrabbits. The Valparaiso product allowed just two runs in six innings of work on six hits and four strikeouts.
“I felt good,” Kruse said. “I went to my cutter a lot. That was basically all I was throwing: cutters and sinkers, and then mixing in sliders and changeups. But my cutter was working really well.”
“Our pitchers are doing a really good job controlling counts right now,” Vance said.
Offensively, Tony Hatzigeorgiou delivered the game’s deciding play. After Ryan McKay got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game with two down in the sixth, Hatzigeorgiou delivered a two-RBI single to hand Royal Oak its permanent 4-2 lead.
“[Down] 0-2, I just tried to clear my mind, stay through the middle of the field, and I got a pitch to hit,” Hatzigeorgiou said.
All four Leprechaun runs came in immediate response to Kokomo’s two runs. Michael Lareau blooped a game-tying, RBI single in the fourth after the Jackrabbits received the game’s first run in the top half of the frame. Kokomo took another one-run lead right before Royal Oak’s three-run frame in the sixth.
“I knew that our pitchers would come through and close it out,” Hatzigeorgiou said. “That was all the runs that we needed.”
On top of Gabe Jones’ scoreless ninth, Owen Franklin received the ball in the seventh and eighth. Kokomo also got runners in scoring position in both innings when Franklin was on the mound, but was still kept off the board.
The Jackrabbits ended up stranding seven runners in scoring position.
Royal Oak now finishes a day above .500 for the first time since July 27.
Playoff hopes remain alive, but very thin. The Leprechauns are still four games out of a spot in the postseason with five days remaining in the regular season.
“These guys aren’t backing down, by any means,” Vance said. “We did the math last night, and we pretty much have to win them all and hope. One down, five more to go.”
A sweep will be on the team’s mind on Tuesday. Royal Oak will play a fourth straight home contest against a Kokomo team that has now lost eight straight.
