By Noah Chavez
ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Returning to Memorial Park for their final homestand of July, the Royal Oak Leprechauns secured a two-game sweep of the Kalamazoo Growlers on Tuesday and Wednesday, setting a new franchise record with 36 wins this season. With 10 games remaining, the Leprechauns hope to add to that total, currently pushing for a playoff spot and sitting atop the Great Lakes East standings.
In Tuesday night’s opener, Royal Oak starter Charlie Dieruf did enough to keep the Leprechauns ahead, pitching into the sixth inning and exiting the game with his side in front 5-4.
On the offensive side early on, the longball seemed to be the name of the game for Royal Oak, with infielders Connor Larkin and Jordan Lewis each launching home runs over the fence of Memorial Park within the first three frames.
As the game moved to the late innings, the Leprechauns carried a narrow 7-4 lead heading into their half of the eighth, but some big insurance runs from Larkin, Kam Yearsley, and Mark Collins grew the lead to 11-4, and the team would go on to win by that scoreline as Kellen English recorded the final five outs without allowing a run.
Wednesday night, the scoring continued in bunches for Royal Oak, leading to another game with double-digit runs, and closing out the series with a 12-4 win.
Leading the charge, Owen Turner and Michael Zielinski were outstanding, each collecting four hits and multiple RBIs, while Mason Barth contributed four RBIs of his own on a home run and double in the contest.
Making his first start of the summer, Liam Baker did well on the pitching side for the Leprechauns, allowing just two earned runs in his five innings pitched and giving Royal Oak a solid start to ensure a smooth victory and sweep.
As the regular season comes to a close, the Leprechauns have just four more home games remaining, playing host to the Green Bay Rockers in their penultimate homestand of the summer to begin August. First pitch on Saturday, August 1 from 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.
