Roosevelt Pitching Shines In Vital CCAC Sweep

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Roosevelt's twin aces shut down the potent St. Francis lineup to lead the Lakers to a vital sweep of the Fighting Saints in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Sunday at the Ballpark at Rosemont.

St. Francis came to Rosemont on Sunday riding an eight-game winning streak, during which it had outscored opponents 103-3. Yet the duo of Samantha Norman and Kate Sisson held the Fighting Saints to just one run on five hits across 14 innings in Roosevelt's 2-1 and 1-0 victories. Norman struck out eight in her seven innings of work across both games while surrendering just two hits and walking two batters. Sisson allowed just three hits in her seven innings with seven punchouts and two walks.

The Lakers (10-7, 2-1 CCAC) got to the Fighting Saints early in the first game, ending a scoreless streak of more than 35 innings for the St. Francis pitcher. Kirtsin Fudge lined a single to center field in the second inning then Brynn Dvoracek slammed a double off the wall in right field to score the game's first run. Roosevelt nearly had more, too, but Emma Wokurka's soft line drive was snagged at third base and Dvoracek was caught a step off the bag for the double play.

Fudge was again responsible for the Lakers' second run, which came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Athena Pomele-Pen started the frame with a single into left field, then was lifted for pinch runner Chloee Boros. A pair of long outs allowed Boros to move up to second for Fudge, who delivered with a gorgeous single into center field to plate Boros for the eventual winning run.

Boros' run was valuable after the Fighting Saints tied the game in the top of the third with a two-out single. However, that was the last of the trouble they could cause the Lakers in the opening game. Norman allowed a leadoff single in the fourth then struck out two of the next three batters to strand her there. She picked up her sixth and seventh strikeouts of the game in the fifth inning before giving way to Sisson for the six-out save. The senior was unlucky to allow a base runner in the sixth inning due to a Dvorack error then worked around a two-out walk to seal the victory.

Offense was even more at a premium in the second game with Sisson dealing from the first pitch. The only mistakes she made came on a double in the second inning and a triple in the third, but both times, the senior stranded the runner at third base. She caught one hitter looking to end the second then induced a weak pop fly behind the plate for catcher Bailee Reynolds to snag in the third.

While Sisson was excelling in the circle, the Lakers squandered some chances to give her some run support. Anaisa Lozada was caught trying to steal third with a hit-and-run play potentially called in the second inning. Then in the third, Norman took off for home on a suicide squeeze, but the pitch was too high for Scout Kram, and the Fighting Saints were able to catch Norman in a rundown. Reynolds doubled in the fourth inning, but again Roosevelt could not find the hit to open the scoring.

Norman entered the circle and pitched a perfect sixth inning, and then Roosevelt found the magical hit that had been eluding it. Kram led off the bottom of the sixth with a slow roller to the shortstop, which she easily beat for an infield single. Then Emily Zuniga delicately popped her bunt attempt over the hard-charging pitcher for another infield single. Pomele-Pen advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt then Reynolds reached when the St. Francis first baseman decided to keep Kram at third base on a grounder.

Lozada then delivered with a sacrifice fly to score Kram and Fudge nearly hit the Lakers' first over-the-fence home run of the season, but fell five feet short for the final out of the inning. Norman worked a perfect seventh inning for her second win of the day.

The Lakers return to Rosemont on Tuesday to face Judson in a CCAC doubleheader rescheduled from last week due to inclement weather. The first game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.