CRESTWOOD, Ill. – Matt Garbacz ended the week the way he started it: in dominating fashion.
The sophomore right-hander fired eight innings of four-hit shutout baseball, leading Roosevelt to a 6-0 victory over Calumet St. Joseph at Standard Bank Stadium on Sunday.
The win allowed the Lakers (11-13, 7-2 CCAC) to sweep the Crimson Wave (6-27, 0-9 CCAC) in the weekend's three-game series while allowing Roosevelt to already surpass last year's win total with 23 games still remaining in the 2018 regular-season schedule.
Garbacz, a Villa Park native who starred at Willowbrook High School, is shining on the mound for Roosevelt in his second collegiate season and turned in the best week of his young career. He blanked CCSJ and struck out six Crimson Wave hitters for his second straight shutout performance since Monday, when he pitched a complete-game three-hit masterpiece to defeat Saint Xavier.
Matt Marrera, Tyler Ward and Charley Zeschke had three hits apiece, and Roosevelt's three-run first inning combined with Garbacz's big-time pitching to make a strong statement early and often in the Lakers' favor.
Roosevelt's offense was the story in Friday's wins against CCSJ at Oil City Stadium. The Lakers pounded out 18 hits for a 17-5 walloping, and the Lakers' three-run eighth inning spurred by big hits from Zeschke, Matt Kozlak and Leo Lunatto helped the Green and White come away with a 6-4 decision in the doubleheader nightcap that day.
Lunatto led the Lakers offensively in three games against CCSJ, hitting .692 (9-for-13) with eight RBI.
Ward paced the Lakers this past week, going 13-for-25 (.520) at the plate in six games.
Roosevelt takes on Trinity Christian in Palos Heights this Tuesday.