No-Hitter Helps Lakers Split Opening Games

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Roosevelt's pitching staff dominated the circle Thursday night as the Lakers split their first two games of the season at the NAIA Leadoff Tournament at the Dome at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont.

It almost was a literal perfect start to the season for the Lakers (1-1) after they took a team perfect game into the seventh inning of the opener against Kentucky Christian. Seren Horton forced the first batter she faced into a pop-up to second base before issuing a walk to spoil the perfect-game bid. A hard-luck error put runners on first and second for the Knights before Horton induced consecutive pop-ups to seal the no-hitter and a 3-0 win.

Horton picked up the save on the heels from masterful performances from Kate Sisson and Samantha Norman in the circle. Sisson struck out eight hitters in her first trip around the order and finished with nine punchouts in 12 batters faced. Norman didn't have as much success overpowering the Knights, but Kentucky Christian didn't muster much off her before she finished her evening off with a strikeout.

Roosevelt's offense took some time to get revved up before it threatened for the first time in the third inning. An error from the third baseman to allowed Emma Wokurka to reach first with one out then Anaisa Lozada reached on a bunt single trying to advance the runner. However, consecutive strikeouts curbed that threat.

In the fifth, Lozada roped a line drive into left centerfield and easily rounded the bases for a one-out triple. Pinch-hitter Madison Sullivan did her job nearly-perfectly with an RBI groundout to push across the first run of the day. Roosevelt put runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth before breaking the game open with two runs in the seventh.

Once again, it was Lozada in the middle of the action with a ground-rule double to dead center. She followed up by stealing third base then scoring on Scout Kram's single up the middle. Bailee Reynolds executed the ideal sacrifice bunt to send Kram from first to third and Athena Pomele-Pen smashed a single to score Kram.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, that offense could not carry the momentum into the second game of the evening against Madonna. Once again, the Roosevelt pitchers did their job, holding the potent Crusaders offense to just four hits and a single run, but the Lakers managed just two hits in the 1-0 setback.

Sisson picked up where she left off in the first game with two perfect innings, each of which began with a strikeout. She was helped in the third inning by some excellent defense from Reynolds behind the plate, who picked off a Madonna runner at third base after a triple then caught a runner stealing to end the inning. Unfortunately, the luck ran out in the fourth inning as Sisson was only able to get one of the two outs she needed to escape another jam with a runner on third base.

Roosevelt's best chance at offense came in the bottom of the third inning when Kirstin Fudge led off the inning with a well-hit single into left field. However, the Crusaders retired the final 12 Lakers batters who stepped to the plate to dampen any momentum for the Lakers.

The Lakers return to the field twice Friday at the NAIA Leadoff Classic with an 11:15 a.m. start against Cleary and an 8:15 p.m. first pitch against Northwestern.