Lakers Close Out Florida Trip With Bang

LAKE MYRTLE, Fla. – Roosevelt ended its spring break to Florida with an exclamation point with a pair of dominant wins against St. Thomas (Fla.) and Mount Marty.

The Lakers (9-6) played just one game Wednesday, toppling St. Thomas 8-2 behind a standout performance on the mound from Jake Glickman. The junior righty gave up eight hits, but allowed just one run in seven innings to earn his first win of the season. Glickman recorded just a single strikeout, but didn't walk anyone, instead trusting the defense behind him to make the plays to escape any trouble that arose.

Jack Kieffer started his strong day at the plate with a single in the second inning before being erased on a fielder's choice. But James Berry reaching base set the stage for Luca Paolucci to open the scoring with a single into left field with two away. Paolucci was again the catalyst for the Lakers in the fifth inning with a leadoff walk. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt then took third on a wild pitch before scoring on Jojo Mack's RBI groundout.

Yet that was just the start of Roosevelt's rally in the inning as Bryce Hayman drew a walk and Kekoa Ogawa extended the inning with a two-out single. Kieffer blasted a double into left field to score both runners then moved over to third on the throw to home plate. The 4-1 lead was enough for Glickman, who allowed just three hits in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings before ceding to the bullpen.

Roosevelt tacked on important insurance runs in the ninth inning with four runs on three hits and two walks. Sebastian Casillas opened the frame with a walk to bring up Mack, who hit an infield single. Hayman sacrificed both runners up 90 feet so the Bobcats chose to intentionally walk Ogawa. Casillas scored on a wild pitch before Kieffer drove in his third run of the game with a single into right field. Berry then closed the Lakers' scoring with a two-run double to right field.

On Thursday, the Lakers offense picked up where it left off with a 7-1 rout of Mount Marty in their final game of the road trip. Omar Abuelhija and Griffin LaMarche combined to strike out nine batters and allow just the one run in nine innings. Although the Lancers scored that run in the top of the first, that was the only serious offensive threat they could mount against the Roosevelt pitching staff.

The Lakers didn't respond to the 1-0 deficit until the fifth inning despite twice putting a runner on third with one out in the first four innings. In the fifth, the pressure finally paid off and Roosevelt went station to station on the base paths to tie the game. Ben Compton walked then moved up 90 feet on Casillas' single. Mack advanced everyone 90 feet again with another single then Hayman worked a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.

However, Roosevelt's offense was not done and Ogawa stepped to the plate and promptly unloaded the bases with a grand slam. It was the junior's fourth home run of the season and more than enough for the Lakers pitching Thursday. The Lakers were not done, though, and tacked on two runs in the eighth inning on a Nolan Boettcher solo homer and a Kieffer sacrifice fly for the final scoreline.

The Lakers return home to prepare for its first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference series of the season next Friday and Saturday against Trinity Christian. Roosevelt will host the Trolls on March 15 at Ozinga Field with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. before heading to Palos Heights on the 16^th for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.