CAROL STREAM, Ill. – Jordan Gosztola had a three-hit day while Mike Czarnik and AJ Neufeld drove in runs late to rally the Roosevelt baseball team back from a two-run deficit, but Robert Morris scored three times in the eighth to escape the RU 9's comeback in the Lakers' 5-2 loss to the Eagles at Lee Pfund Stadium on Thursday.

The Lakers fell to 3-9 overall while losing their CCAC opener, while the Eagles are now 11-8 overall and 1-2 in the CCAC.

Byron Skinner threw seven solid innings of five-hit, two-run ball in a no-decision, fanning six Robert Morris hitters in the process.

The game was scoreless after three and a half when RMU struck first on a back-to-back two-out hits, with the big blow coming on Jory Koehler's RBI double.

The Eagles made it 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI groundout, but Skinner escaped without any more damage by striking out Koehler to end the inning.

Roosevelt began the rally in the top of the seventh when Gosztola led off with a triple to the gap in left center. Neufeld then drove in pinch runner Danny Grzywa on a sac fly to right that cut the deficit in half.

In the top of the eighth it was a one-out double off the bat of Danny Haze and a single smacked by Dylan Grabowski that moved Haze 90 feet away from tying the game. That's when Czarnik hit a grounder to short that erased Grabowski at second but allowed Haze to come home safely for a brand new ballgame.

Unfortunately the bottom of that game-tying frame proved to be less favorable for the Lakers. Koehler struck again, driving in the go-ahead run with a single off of reliever T.J. Davis after a double and an error put two on, and with a wild pitch putting a pair in scoring position, RMU tacked on big unearned insurance runs thanks to pinch hitter Tim Delany's base hit.

Josh McQuery retired the side in the top of the ninth to end the game.

The Lakers get another crack at the Eagles this Sunday, March 30 when Roosevelt serves as the host of a doubleheader against Robert Morris at Lee Pfund Stadium beginning at noon.