TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City Pit Spitters and Royal Oak Leprechauns have played each other seven times already this season in their first 15 games.
Not a lucky seven so far for Traverse City (7-8), which has dropped five of them thus far. The first eight games are in four-game blocks, two at each team’s park.
Royal Oak (9-6) claimed their fifth win this season over the Spitters, taking a 6-4 decision in Monday’s Northwoods League baseball game in front of 943 fans at Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City.
Jake Ickes started and left with a 3-2 lead, striking out seven in five innings.
Bryce Suiter gave up his first runs of the season in his fifth appearance, getting charged for four over 2.1 innings. He stuck out three. Charlie Wolf allowed a run in 1.2 frames, also the first time this season he’s given up a run in four relief outings.
Sam Kaczmarek came home on a Noah Gerrick single to left in the third inning, Gerrick came across on an Aaron Grant single to center and Ethan Guerra scored on a Cole Van Ameyde sacrifice fly for a 3-0 Spitters lead.
Kaczmarek scored again in the seventh, on a Grant sacrifice fly.
The Spitters and Leprechauns — who trail Great Lakes East leader Kalamazoo (10-5) by a game — play four more times this season, a pair June 22-23 in Royal Oak and two more July 16-17 in Traverse City.