ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Roosevelt softball team scored four runs in the first inning, but the quick start was all the Lakers could muster against Cardinal Stritch starter Maggie Tidrow as the visiting Wolves scored five unanswered runs to take the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, 5-4, at the Ballpark at Rosemont.

Kristy Santora and Courtney Raschk had two hits and an RBI apiece for the Lakers (14-25, 9-10 CCAC), who need to win Sunday's second game to qualify for the CCAC tournament.

Pitcher Morgan Vogt and the Lakers averted early trouble stirred up the Wolves (22-30, 7-12 CCAC), who put two in scoring position in the first. But Vogt struck out two straight to end the threat and the inning.

Roosevelt posed its own early threat and delivered on it during the bottom half of the opening inning, as Santora (double), Raschk (single), Jessica Taylor (single) and Sam Kusta (sac fly) all plated runs.

Roosevelt's fast start did not resonate the rest of the way against Tidrow, who limited the Lakers to just five hits and no runs in the final six innings.

Stritch struck for the first time in the third, as the Wolves' first three hitters of the inning reached as the result of base hits to score one run. Two more scores came later due to a groundout and a single, getting the guests within one.

The Wolves tied the game with two outs in the fourth on Alexys Cleaver's fielder's choice ground ball with the bases loaded, but Vogt escaped further trouble to keep the game square.

The Lakers' offense could not replicate a smidgeon of the first, stranding 11 runners on base, and that allowed Stritch the chance to go ahead in the seventh. Cleaver singled and stole second, and Jill Andreoni brought her home with the tie-breaking tally on a single up the middle.

Roosevelt put the tying run aboard in its next turn after Raschk singled to lead off the seventh. Two batters later Kusta reached on a dropped fly in centerfield, but Tidrow struck out Kathy Crowley and Priscilla Rios to close the contest.