Monarchs Even Series Against Leprechauns in Late-Inning Thriller

Garrett Pog - 6-8-23

It was certainly an up-and-down game for the Michigan Monarchs (1-1). After losing 6-1 in the season opener against the Royal Oak Leprechauns (1-1), they needed to prove themselves in their Lake Trust Stadium debut.

Robert Klann (2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER) felt waves of emotions through himself, as he went from one strike away from recording the save, to blowing the lead with one out left. He would later record the win.

Runs were scored all throughout the night, each team dealing blows to each other as it quickly became a game of who would be on top when the 9th inning came to a close. 

The Monarchs felt a rush after walking off with an 8-7 win at home Wednesday night. 4 straight singles from the 6-9 hitters put this game away, concluding with Mark Harden (4 AB, 2 H, 1 R) hitting the walk-off single. You could audibly hear Head Coach Kelton Caldwell shouting “Let’s go!” when the players charged the field. The 80+ fans in attendance were loud and proud, as the stadium was buzzing despite the windy 50 degree temperatures.

Starting C Zacharias Salinas (5 AB, 4 H, 1 RBI) was the standout player from the game, going from not playing the previous night to starting off the season hitting .800. The DH Sam Thompson (5 AB, 3 H, 2 R) also hit his stride, to push his early season average to .333.

AJ Kostic (3 AB, 2 H, 3 R) led the way for Royal Oak, including 2 walks that both resulted in runs for the away team. The Leprechauns sported 7 pitchers on the mound, 3 of which did not give up a run.

There’s still some team bonding that has yet to take place, but a walk-off in your first home game can do wonders for team chemistry.

The Monarchs will finish the Away-Home-Away series tonight at Royal Oak’s Memorial Park Field, in which Quin Konuszewski will most likely take the mound for them. Ryan Kruse is the probable pitcher for the Leprechauns. Your Michigan Monarchs will be back at home June 16th, when they face Jet Box after a 2-day break.

Photo courtesy of Nolan Gerou.

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