Lakers Open CCAC Tournament With Pair of Wins, Stun Top-Seeded Fighting Saints

CROWN POINT, Ind. – Roosevelt scored in just two of its 14 innings of softball Thursday, but won both games it played at the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at the Crown Point Sportsplex in Crown Point, Indiana.

The fourth-seeded Lakers (23-15) scored four runs in the first inning against No. 5 St. Ambrose in their tournament opener and made it count in a 4-3 win over the Fighting Bees. Roosevelt then won its second game of the day with a seven-run explosion in the fourth inning against top-seeded St. Francis for a 7-0 win over the Fighting Saints. It is the first time in program history the Lakers have won their first two games of the conference tournament.

Roosevelt wasted no time hammering the St. Ambrose pitching staff with the first five batters of the day reaching base. Scout Kram and Anaisa Lozada both singled to lead off the frame then Athena Pomele-Pen reached on a fielder's choice where no one was out. With the bases loaded, Bailee Reynolds unleashed a two-run double to left field then Kirstin Fudge cleared the bases with a two-run single into right center.

That was all the run support Kate Sisson would need as she dominated the Fighting Bees in her first two trips through the lineup. The senior was perfect through four innings with three of her five strikeouts coming in that time frame. St. Ambrose broke up the chance at history with a leadoff single in the fifth, but Sisson induced a double play and fly ball to stay at the minimum through five innings. She was forced to strand a runner on base in the sixth when she hit a batter with two outs before forcing the groundout to end the frame.

Sisson's only trouble spot came in the seventh when the Fighting Bees started to time her pitching and put some pressure on the Lakers' defense. Lozada's misfire while trying to turn a double play allowed the leadoff single to score from second. Sisson then allowed a triple to trim the lead to 4-2 then a sacrifice fly made it 4-3. However, Sisson finished with her fifth strikeout of the game for the complete-game victory.

The Lakers had won two tight pitchers duels earlier in the season against St. Francis, handing the conference champions their only two blemishes in league play. It was shaping up to be a similar game with Samantha Norman in the circle after the junior was able to escape the first inning unscathed. Yet an error to start the fourth inning was all Roosevelt needed to crack the Fighting Saints for the critical seven-run frame.

After the Fighting Saints loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning, Norman was never really in much trouble the rest of the game. A two-out double in the fourth and a one-out single in the sixth were the only runners to reach second base against the junior for the rest of the game. The righty struck out four and allowed just four hits while walking three to throw the first complete-game shutout of her career.

Pomele-Pen dominated the batter's box against the Fighting Saints with hits in all four of her plate appearances in the victory. So it was no surprise that the sophomore had the biggest hit of the day for the Lakers. Kram may have broken the deadlock with her two-out single with the bases loaded, but Pomele-Pen added an exclamation point with her grand slam two batters later. It was just the third pitch Roosevelt has hit over the fence all season with two of the team's five homers being of the inside-the-park variety.

Fudge started the whole party by reaching on an error by the St. Francis third baseman and Norman immediately moved her over with a sacrifice bunt. Brynn Dvoracek walked and Emilly Zuniga hit an infield single to load the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Kram delivered the tiebreaking single then Lozada drew a bases-loaded walk. Pomele-Pen launched the grand slam to make it 6-0 Lakers before Reynolds and Fudge delivered back-to-back doubles for the final scoreline.

Roosevelt will play for a spot in the CCAC Tournament championship game on Friday at 2:30 p.m. against No. 2 St. Xavier at the Crown Point Sportsplex.