Lakers Create Plenty Of Excitement With Sweep Of Eagles

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Athena Pomele-Pen rocketed a walk-off triple to the right-field wall to lift Roosevelt to a sweep of Judson in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Wednesday at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont.

The Lakers (14-10, 6-4 CCAC) easily took care of business in the first game with a comfortable 5-0 win behind a stellar outing from Samantha Norman in the circle. Kate Sisson was just as strong in her start in the second game of the doubleheader with a complete-game effort in the 3-2 victory. Scout Kram led off the pivotal seventh inning with her third hit of the game before Pomele-Pen launched the triple over the right fielder's head for the walk-off victory.

Sisson is known for her ability to escape jams without surrendering runs, but she wasn't as fortunate against the Eagles. In the first inning, Judson followed a two-out single with a double to take an early lead. Then in the fourth, Sisson was able to work an 0-2 count on the Eagles batter with two outs after a triple, but a bloop single just evaded a diving Kram to allow Judson to take a 2-1 lead.

The senior had just one strikeout in her first complete game of the season and scattered nine hits in her seven innings in the circle. Sisson did successfully navigate a one-out jam in the third inning with runners on second and third by inducing a pop up to third base then another one to first base. She also stranded a pair of runners in the fourth after the bloop single and worked around a runner in scoring position with one out in the sixth.

While Sisson was keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard, the Lakers were unable to break free from Judson due to some great defense from the Eagles. Roosevelt made some good contact off the Judson pitcher, but the Eagles made several diving catches in the outfield or sharp snares on line drives in the infield to keep the Lakers at bay.

However, it was a Judson miscue in the first inning that allowed Roosevelt to quickly tie the game after Judson scored in the top of the inning. Pomele-Pen and Anaisa Lozada led off with consecutive singles before Emily Zuniga bunted them over. Kirstin Fudge just got under the offering from the Eagles pitcher and lofted a pop-up in the infield that the third baseman dropped. Pomele-Pen was able to score on the error, but Lozada was thrown out at third after the drop.

Kram led off the fifth inning with a well-placed single over the shortstop's head, but was quickly erased on an excellent play by the Judson shortstop. Pomele-Pen lined what looked like a single up the middle, but the Eagles fielder ranged to her left and fielded the grounder, barely beating Kram to the bag before throwing to first for the double play. The effort went for naught, however, as Lozada smashed the first pitch she saw into the gap in right center field and motored around the bases for the Lakers' second inside-the-park home run of the season.

The second game was a big one for Kram, who not only broke out of a slump with a 3 for 3 effort but also made several highlight reel catches in center field to rob Judson of hits. The junior was credited with a season-high six putouts in the second game while patrolling a lot of ground in the outfield for the Lakers. It also helped that Kram broke her stretch of eight consecutive at-bats without a hit with three against the Eagles.

It was clear early in the first game that the softball luck was shining on the Lakers after they scored twice in the first inning without registering a hit. Pomele-Pen started the bottom of the frame with a walk then stole second before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Zuniga grounded to the second baseman, who decided against taking the sure out in favor of trying to keep Pomele-Pen at third. However, the Judson third baseman dropped the throw and the ball rolled into the dugout, allowing Pomele-Pen to score and Zuniga to move up to second.

Zuniga then stole third base to set up a truly wild sequence of events with Lozada at the plate. The shortstop also grounded to the second baseman, and this time the throw was on the mark to nab Zuniga at the plate. Lozada realized no one was covering second after the throw and made the wise decision to take the base. Judson's catcher tried to throw out Lozada but her throw to the centerfielder rushing in to cover the bag was high and the ball rolled to the wall in center field, allowing Lozada to score on the fielder's choice.

In the third inning, Zuniga powered through a two-out single up the middle and promptly stole second and third bases. Lozada came through with a single up the middle that scored Zuniga, and Lozada then followed her teammate's path by stealing second and third. Fudge, however, was unable to sneak her grounder past the pitcher and the inning ended with Roosevelt up 3-0.

Norman allowed a leadoff single then retired 14 of the next 15 hitters she faced to keep the Eagles off the board. Her streak ended with a two-out double in the fifth inning, but she wasted no time retiring the next batter she faced. There was some minor trouble in the sixth with back-to-back two-out singles, but Norman again navigated out of the jam with composure. The junior hurler finished with five strikeouts and allowed just five hits without walking anyone in six innings in the circle.

It was almost a complete-game effort from Norman as well after the Lakers twice sent the winning run to the plate in the fifth. The frame started with Pomele-Pen and Zuniga both hitting singles then advancing on a passed ball to put runners in scoring position. Fudge delivered with a single into left field to score both runners and Norman helped her own cause with an infield single. A second passed ball allowed both runners to advance again, but the Lakers could not find that final hit to add onto their 5-0 lead.

The Lakers return to action Saturday with a critical doubleheader at conference-leading St. Xavier at noon in Chicago.