CRESTWOOD, Ill. – The Roosevelt baseball team suffered two close losses due to late runs scored by visiting Olivet Nazarene in both games between the two sides at Standard Bank Stadium on Wednesday.
The Tigers scored two runs in their second-to-last turn at bat to take a 3-1 decision over the Lakers in the opener before scoring with two outs in the top of the 10th to edge the RU 9, 2-1, in extras to cap the doubleheader.
Roosevelt fell to 6-11 overall and 2-2 in CCAC play, while Olivet Nazarene moved to 13-12 and 2-2 in the CCAC.
Logan Fleener and Alvin Perez had two-hit games in the finale, and Colten Trager and Tyler Ward drove in Roosevelt's runs on the day as the hosts' offense struggled to support strong pitching performances from Bronson Wittkamp and Mike Marrera.
Wittkamp tossed a complete game and allowed just three runs while fanning four. Marrera also had a quality start, equaling Wittkamp's strikeout total while allowing just a single unearned run in eight frames.
After Olivet Nazarene opened the scoring with a tally in the top of the third, Roosevelt tied the contest in its half of that same frame on Ward's RBI single.
The game remained deadlocked until the sixth when Tyler Fisher lofted a sacrifice fly to right to bring in the go-ahead run, and a subsequent squeeze bunt single allowed another run to cross the plate.
The Lakers brought the tying run to the batter's box after Perez singled to lead off the seventh, but a double play and a game-ending groundout halted the threat.
First blood was struck by the Green and White in game two. Trager lifted a sac fly to right that allowed Matt Kozlak to cruise home with a run in the bottom of the first.
ONU tied the game in the fifth after a two-out single and subsequent throwing error put the tying run in scoring position for Kurtis Minton, who singled to left center for the knotting tally.
Marrera bounced back and evaded further damage during the rest of his outing, giving way to Matt Garbacz in the ninth.
Garbacz tossed a perfect inning, and Roosevelt had the winning run at second before Parker Coleman and Jonah Meidl-Zahorodny were forced into back-to back outs to send the game into extras.
With a runner on third and two away in the top of the 10th, Bryan Klendworth hit a Garbacz offering up the middle that a sliding Fleener was able to stop and pick up for a chance to throw to first. But Klendworth was called safe, and R.W. Rienow's step on the plate was good for the go-ahead run.
Roosevelt looked to tie or walk off with the win in its half of the 10th, but closer Chris Martinez worked a 1-2-3 inning that put the Lakers' comeback chances out of reach.
The Lakers begin a three-game series against Judson this Friday in Elgin before hosting a twinbill at Standard Bank Stadium on Saturday.
