LocalSportsJournal.com
ROYAL OAK – Offense was the name of the game for the Muskegon Clippers on Thursday night as they hit their way to a doubleheader sweep over the Royal Oak Leprechauns, 6-1 and 11-6.
The fireworks began early in Game 1 when Muskegon managed three runs on three hits in the second inning. After Royal Oak managed to put out two Clippers, Muskegon’s Sam Lisiak and Danny Passinault singled and were quickly followed by a Griffin Clark walk.
With the bases loaded, Stoney Smith brought home all three base runners on a double to put his team in front 3-0. That early advantage proved enough as the Leprechauns failed to put a ball in play until the bottom of the fourth inning.
By that time, Muskegon had added another run and fully controlled the game’s momentum. Royal Oak found their lone run in the bottom of the seventh, but that wouldn’t be enough to unseat the steady hand of the Clippers’ bats, pushing them to a 6-1 win.
Drew Zittel earned the win on the mound in that game, allowing no runs on two hits with five strikeouts through four innings of work. Ben Alderson, Blake Gedrich and Daniel Gutierrez all saw time in relief as well.
The second game required plenty of resilience on the part of Muskegon. After recording one hit in the top of the first inning, the Clippers watched Royal Oak bring home three runs on two hits to take a 3-0 lead.
With nothing to show offensively through two innings, the Clippers went on a tear to start the third. Passinault, Smith and Brett Stanley singled in consecutive at bats to lead it off with Passinault crossing the plate in that stretch. Smith stole his way to home plate and was followed up by Stanley after a Donovan Rinehart double. Rinehart would later score on a wild pitch, allowing Muskegon to jump ahead 4-3.
The fourth inning was more of the same as Muskegon was gifted a runner on the basepaths thanks to a Royal Oak fielding error to open up the frame. Four back-to-back hits, including a triple from Jabin Bates, brought in four more runs. By the end of the fourth, Muskegon had five more runs on four hits, putting them even further ahead, 11-3.
The Leprechauns hit their stride too little too late once more, pulling in three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Muskegon promptly responded with two more runs in the next half inning, closing out the night with a two-game sweep.
Ryan Chamberlain was the winning pitcher for Muskegon in the nightcap, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out six.
Several Clippers had big nights at the plate, but it was Smith who came out on top as he went 5-for-8 combined with four RBI. Passinault went 4-for-6 over the two-game stretch while Stanley also chipped in three RBI.
Muskegon jumped to 24-4 with the pair of wins and will look to start the weekend off right as they host the Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers at Marsh Field, 7:05 p.m. Friday. The 24 victories tied the franchise record for most victories in a season. 
