Strikeouts and Walks Plague Monarchs as They Fall Short to Leprechauns
Garrett Pog - 7/10/23

The subtle nuances in pitching can make all the difference. The more you’re able to adjust in the box or on the mound, the better you’ll do. The great teams adjust, and the other ones, not so much. We saw more of the latter in Sunday night’s contest as the Royal Oak Leprechauns (10-13) beat the Michigan Monarchs (9-16) 5-3.

Strikeouts were prevalent on both sides with 20 total for the night, as Home Plate Umpire Emily Herpick was very decisive in her calls, even if the batters and fans didn’t agree. 10 of those strikeouts were backwards K’s on the statsheet.

The real difference can be found in the walks allowed category. After the Royal Oak Leprechauns Starting Pitcher Kurt Barr allowed 3 in the first 3 innings, Royal Oak did not walk a single batter for the rest of the evening. The Michigan Monarchs, however, walked 8 batters and allowed some HBP’s, which put Royal Oak into scoring position multiple times. The Leprechauns led the inning with a walk 4 different times, and as my friend Dan Leach would say, it’s the leadoff walks that kill ya.

It’s a shame too, as the Monarchs had 2 Inside-the-Park Home Runs throughout the night, the first by Cale Vinson (5 AB, 1 H, 1 R) in the 1st inning, as well as Jake Dresselhouse (5 AB, 2 H, 1 R) in the 5th inning. If this team could’ve combined those runs with the players that were left on base (10 total for the Monarchs), they could’ve had a great chance at winning this game.

The Leprechauns scored 5 runs off of 6 hits, and All-Star Starter Caden Duryea led the team with 3 hits in 5 at-bats. They sported 6 pitchers, who were all able to boost their ERA with the exception of Jake Coulter, who allowed 2 runs during the 5th inning.

Your Michigan Monarchs will look to pick it up with a 3-game homestand this week against the Lima Locos, who currently hold a playoff spot in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. That series starts on Tuesday, at 7:05pm live at Lake Trust Stadium and on michmonarchs.com. You can watch some great baseball and catch a bite to eat on Tuesday and Wednesday, as Twisted Burger will be around to feed the fans throughout the game.

Photo courtesy of Nolan Gerou.

You can contact Garrett Pog at garrettpog@gmail.com.