Early Mistakes Doom Growlers in Blowout Loss
August 5, 2025 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Kalamazoo Growlers News Release
ROYAL OAK, Mich. - The Kalamazoo Growlers (35-33; 18-15) gave up seven unanswered runs to open the ballgame and were unable to muster offense in an 11-3 loss to the Royal Oak Leprechauns (34-34; 17-15) on Tuesday night.
Hayden Scalf opened on the bump for Kalamazoo, and would allow a two-out single followed by a Jovan Gill two run blast to give the Leprechauns an early lead. Following a scoreless second, Scalf would allow another run, but have two outs with two on, before Ryan Tyranski would leave the yard for the second time in the series, and the Leprechauns fifth time in the first two games, to give Royal Oak a 6-0 lead.
The third inning would see Kalamazoo's first baserunner, with KJ White being left on first, as well as the first move to the bullpen, with Ben Van Nes entering for an inning of one-run ball. A scoreless fourth would lead into Hudson Lubbers allowing his first run of the season, and the Leprechauns taking a 8-0 lead. Two more Royal Oak runs in the sixth would move the game 10-0, with the sixth inning runs off Gage Vota.
The seventh would see Kalamazoo score their first runs, off a two-out E5 from the bat of Isaac Vanderwoude that scored Gabe Springer and made the score 10-1. The Leprechauns would score again in the seventh, off Drew Duckhorn, while the Growlers offense would battle and score two, but end the game in the top of the ninth with a 11-3 final.
Over the course of the game, Kalamazoo used six total pitchers, with seven innings being eaten by the bullpen. However, no pitcher threw 50 or more pitches, meaning all seven arms are available by the league pitch count rules for the remainder of the season. The Leprechauns used four total pitchers, with Brody Fahnestock locking down the win with six innings of shutout ball.
The Royal Oak win keeps the Leprechauns firmly in the playoff race, moving themselves within one game of the Growlers. Kalamazoo and Royal Oak play a two-game set at Homer Stryker Field on Wednesday and Thursday night, with both games pivotal for the playoff race. A Growler sweep would clinch a playoff appearance, with a split giving Kalamazoo a one game lead entering the final series of the regular season, while a Royal Oak sweep would give the Leprechauns that advantage. With their win Tuesday night, the Leprechauns clinched the tiebreaker should it come into play.
The two-game set begins Wednesday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET. The game will be available on Northwoods League +.
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