CHANDLER, Ariz. - The Roosevelt softball team returned to the diamond after a five-week hiatus for its first outdoor games of the spring, tangling with Benedictine (Ariz.) in a twinbill to begin a spring break tour through the Copper State.
The Lakers scored first but saw the Redhawks cross the plate eight times in the first four innings for an 8-4 decision in the opener.
Roosevelt nearly replicated that feat in one frame with a seven-run third to take a six-run advantage in game two, but BenU Mesa scored 10 times in its final four turns at bat to take an 11-9 decision.
Roosevelt (0-7) battled hard against a Benedictine team (5-13) that played 16 games entering the day, with offensive hope for the Green and White in the form of 19 hits on the afternoon.
Kassie Kawka had three hits and four RBI, while Amber Green added three hits of her own.
Game one was a family affair, as Roosevelt senior Alyssa Flores and her teammates faced off against her younger sister, Benedictine starting pitcher Ayme Flores.
Roosevelt scored twice in the top of the first on Kawka's two-run single. BenU Mesa responded with two runs in its half of the first and took the lead in the next inning thanks to a two-run homer.
A four-run fourth for the Redhawks proved to be the difference, as Roosevelt tried to rally late and came up with two seventh-inning runs but no more.
After BenU Mesa scored a run in the first of the nightcap, Kawka's second two-run base hit of the day gave the Lakers the lead and ignited a seven-run third that came about with two outs.
The Redhawks put up a four-spot in its half of the third, and Roosevelt used an Aisley Njissang RBI hit and a double steal that allowed Sara Russell to score another pair of runs in the fourth.
But Benedictine scored three more runs in the fourth and got the tying run in the fifth to make it a new ballgame, and an RBI double and a run-scoring wild pitch gave the Redhawks the advantage in the sixth.
Roosevelt put two runners on in the top of the seventh, but reliever Rose Soza-Gonzalez elicited a game-ending flyout to end the threat.
The Lakers begin the 2019 Tucson Invitational Games against Dakota State and Concordia (Neb.) early on Saturday.
