By Noah Chavez
ROYAL OAK, Mich. – In what was an exciting series at Memorial Park, the Royal Oak Leprechauns scored a combined 54 runs in their four-game sweep of the Richmond Flying Mummies.
In a historic opening game of the series, the Leprechauns put up a franchise high in runs with their 23-6 victory on Tuesday. Although every single hitter in the starting lineup reached base at least three times, one player who stood out was outfielder Luke Kosko.
Not only did Kosko collect five hits, including two home runs and two doubles, but he also tallied a Royal Oak record 10 RBIs in a single game, earning Northwoods League Player of the Night on July 22 with his performance.
Besides Kosko, Connor Larkin was the other Leprechaun with multiple RBIs, driving in four runs and reaching base in all five of his plate appearances.
On day two of the series, a scheduled doubleheader meant a pair of games at The Lucky Corner, both of which ended in walk-offs for the home team.
In the day game, Mateo Noto sealed the 7-4 win with a 10th inning three-run home run to cap off a three-hit game. Earlier in the contest, both Mark Collins and newcomer Kam Yearsley launched home runs of their own, with all of the Royal Oak runs scoring by way of the longball.
In the nightcap of the doubleheader, it was some more late-game heroics to get the 5-4 win, this time courtesy of Mason Barth.
Trailing 4-2 with two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Barth stepped up and delivered a high fly ball into the outfield that got lost above the lights, leading to both runners coming into score and Barth being credited with a triple. On the ensuing throw back into the infield, an errant throw then allowed Barth to come all the way home to score, giving the Leprechauns their sixth walk-off of the summer.
Looking for the sweep on Thursday night, Spencer Boynton and Kam Yearsley stole the show in the 19-2 win, with the two turning in the best single-game performances of the entire season by any Royal Oak player.
On the mound, Boynton was almost unhittable, tossing 6.2 innings with no earned runs allowed, striking out a franchise-high 13 hitters in his start on his way to earning NWL Pitcher of the Night.
Offensively, Yearsley put in a performance just as notable, launching a trio of home runs and collecting eight RBIs on the night, bringing his season total to four homers in just four games played this summer.
With the Leprechauns traveling to Wisconsin for a pair of games in both Green Bay and Kenosha, the team will be back at Memorial Park next Tuesday, July 28, against the Kalamazoo Growlers. First pitch from The Lucky Corner will be at 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.
