Berry's Walk-Off Single Lifts RU To Split

CRESTWOOD, Ill. – James Berry capped off a wild Saturday at Ozinga Field with a walk-off single to help Roosevelt earn another doubleheader split with first-place St. Francis in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference action.

Both games featured plenty of twists and turns with late-inning comebacks and ill-timed miscues from both teams. St. Francis scored twice in the sixth inning then two more times in the seventh to pull away for a 7-5 win over the Lakers in the opener Saturday. Berry's single in the second game lifted the Lakers (15-12, 6-6 CCAC) to a 6-5 win after Roosevelt rallied to take the lead in the eighth.

The second game of the day was a pitcher's duel until the final two innings with neither team able to generate much offense. Roosevelt struck first with three straight hits, ending with a sharply hit grounder through the right side from Bryce Hayman that scored Sebastian Casillas, who led off the frame with a double. The Lakers doubled the lead in the fifth inning when Luis Delgado followed up a Kekoa Ogawa double with an RBI single.

Angel Morales was cruising through the first six innings, allowing just one run on five hits in those frames. The righty started the seventh and gave up a single then Griffin Lamarche came on in relief, allowing that single to come around to score to tie the game. St. Francis then struck for two more runs in the eighth inning, putting the pressure back on the Roosevelt offense.

Roosevelt more than delivered in the eighth inning with Delgado leading off the frame with a double to left center that came a few feet away from clearing the fence. Jack Kieffer walked then Kyle De Kerf kept the inning alive with a two-out walk of his own to load the bases. Casillas brought home the first run when he was beaned on the foot by a pitch.

Jojo Mack hit what could have been an inning-ending grounder to the shortstop, but the Fighting Saints bobbled the ball and allowed the speedy Mack to reach and the tying run to score. Hayman then absorbed a fastball to the back, allowing the go-ahead run to cross the plate before Ogawa sent a long fly ball to the warning track in center field for the final out.

Ogawa nearly escaped the ninth inning with a save, but a two-out triple tied the game and set up the Lakers for some heroics. Delgado snuck a single inside the left-field line to lead off the inning then Kieffer shot a ball back up the middle to put runners on first and second. That set up Berry to lace a pitch deep into left field then stopped at first to celebrate as pinch runner Aidan Brushaber came around to score the winning run.

Mack wasted no time in the first game jumpstarting the Roosevelt offense, leading off the bottom of the first with a triple. Kekoa Ogawa brought him home two batters later to give the Lakers the early 1-0 lead. In the third inning, the top of the lineup again made some noise with Hayman and Ogawa both working walks to load the bases after a sacrifice bunt from Mack. Delgado stayed patient and drew an RBI walk, opening the door for Kieffer to deliver a two-run single that put the Lakers ahead 4-1.

The Fighting Saints rallied to take a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning, but Roosevelt's bats woke up at the right time. Berry lashed a single to left field then moved up on Sammy Estrada's sacrifice bunt, setting the stage for Luca Paolucci to tie the game with a line drive down the right field line that ended up as a double. The Lakers didn't have another rally in them in the seventh inning after St. Francis again took the lead courtesy of a throwing error.

The Lakers are currently scheduled to travel to Lewis on Wednesday for a single game against the NCAA Division II opponent that starts at 3 p.m. Roosevelt will then face its crosstown CCAC rival Saint Xavier for consecutive doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday, both of which start at 1 p.m. The Cougars will host Friday's twinbill in Chicago then the Lakers will host Saturday at Ozinga Field.