Lakers Claim Series Finale Against Trolls

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Roosevelt started off Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play with three tight losses and a victory over Trinity Christian in a pair of conference doubleheaders Friday and Saturday.

The Lakers (10-9, 1-3 CCAC) hosted the first twinbill Friday afternoon at Ozinga Field and dropped both games against the Trolls. Trinity Christian used an explosive sixth inning to win the first game 6-3 before rallying for a 6-5 win in game two. On Saturday, Roosevelt traveled to Trinity Christian where it lost the opener 6-5 in extra innings before rebounding to claim the series finale 7-5.

Jake Glickman was cruising in Friday's opener for the Lakers, stranding six Trolls on base in the first five innings. Trinity Christian opened the scoring in the third inning, but Roosevelt responded with a Ben Compton RBI single in the fourth inning. However, the Trolls struck for five runs in the sixth inning to put the pressure on Roosevelt with six outs remaining. Bryce Hayman smashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, but that was as much damage as the Lakers could muster.

The lead changed hands several times in Friday's second game as both teams strung together base runners. The Trolls scored one in the top of the third, only for the Lakers to tie the game on a Jojo Mack bunt single followed by a sacrifice fly from Kekoa Ogawa in the bottom of the inning. A 4-2 Trinity Christian lead was quickly erased by Sammy Estrada's two-run single in the bottom of the sixth, then Hayman gave the Lakers the lead again with a triple in the bottom of the seventh.

Hayman added yet another RBI in the first game Saturday to give the Lakers a 3-2 lead after singling in the fifth inning. Jack Kieffer's sacrifice fly opened the scoring for Roosevelt in the fourth inning then Aiden Brushaber smashed his first homer of the season in the fifth. Luis Delgado increased the lead in the fifth with a sacrifice fly of his own before Sebastian Casillas poked through an RBI single to give Roosevelt a 5-3 edge in the sixth. The Trolls tied the game in the sixth then won it in the ninth inning.

Roosevelt finally opened up the ledger on CCAC wins in the final game of the four-game set with a strong offensive showing. Hayman reached on an error by the second baseman in the third inning that allowed Mack to score then Hayman scored on an Ogawa single. Keiffer drove in Ogawa two batters later to give Roosevelt the early 3-0 advantage. The Trolls tied the game in the bottom of the frame, but Hayman reasserted the Lakers' control with an RBI single in the fourth. In the fifth inning, Mack doubled in a pair of runs to re-break the tie and Casillas hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the seventh run.

Jared Daley pitched 2 1/3 innings of no-hit ball to earn the victory and Ogawa worked a perfect seventh for his third save.

Roosevelt returns to the field on March 22 with two games at Olivet Nazarene before hosting the Tigers on March 23 at Ozinga Field for a doubleheader. Both twinbills will start at 1 p.m.