Royal Oak Runs Wild in 14–2 Rout Over Rockford

The Royal Oak Leprechauns have officially caught fire. With a dominant 14–2 win over the Rockford Rivets on Sunday night, the Leprechauns capped their third straight double-digit scoring game, a first in franchise history. After putting up 11 runs on both Friday and Saturday, Royal Oak added even more fireworks in the third matchup of a four-game series at Rivets Stadium.

Seven different players tallied hits, but five Leprechauns registered multi-hit games. The top of the order — Aidan Schuck (Oakland), Dylan Larkins (Georgetown), and Ryan Tyranski (Cincinnati) — all reached base at least four times. Schuck finished with three RBIs, a sacrifice fly, and two stolen bases. Tyranski, who also walked three times, brought in four runs of his own.

Max Orozco (Oakland) and Jack Dauer (Yale) also enjoyed two-hit performances. Orozco crossed the plate twice and drove in four RBIs, while Dauer reached base five times thanks to two walks, two hits, and a hit-by-pitch.

Royal Oak didn’t even need an extra-base hit to pile on the runs. Instead, they overwhelmed Rockford by staying patient at the plate — drawing 14 walks and getting hit four times, with Rockford committing three errors. In all, the Rivets gave away 21 free bases, compared to just eight allowed by the Leprechauns.

Twelve of Royal Oak’s runs came in the first five innings. They scored in each of those frames: one in the first, two in the second, and four runs in both the third and fourth innings, before adding another in the fifth. Their final two runs came in the ninth, off a position player pitching for the Rivets.

While the offense stole headlines, Royal Oak’s pitching was just as sharp. Making his final start of the summer, Justin Brown (Michigan) gave the Leprechauns five strong innings, allowing two runs (one earned) while striking out seven and picking up the win.

In relief, Wyatt Ruppnethal (Kalamazoo College) turned in three scoreless innings, striking out six while allowing just one walk and one hit batter. Ethan LaPointe (Eastern Michigan) closed the door with a clean ninth inning.

The win improved Royal Oak to 16–19, pushing them ahead of Rockford (13–18) and giving them a 4–3 edge in the season series after going just 2–6 against the Rivets in 2024.

The two clubs wrap up the first half of the Northwoods League season Monday at 7:05 p.m. ET. The Leprechauns will then return home to begin a pivotal six-game homestand, with their sights set on a second-half playoff push.