CRESTWOOD, Ill. – Connor Graefen grounded into a fielder's choice that allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the 11th inning, sending the Roosevelt baseball team to a 4-3 walk-off comeback win over Olivet Nazarene and securing a doubleheader split against the Tigers at Ozinga Field on Tuesday.
The Lakers (7-22, 7-11 CCAC) bounced back from a 7-3 game one loss and rallied back from a three-run deficit in the finale to force extras and hand the Tigers (22-10, 11-4 CCAC) a loss on the Lakers' hustle.
ONU scored single runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings, with even more damage possible that was wiped out by the strong start of Noah Mathias. Mathias wiggled out of jams and allowed just three hits and one earned run in a stellar showing.
The bottom of the sixth saw the Lakers' offense awaken against the Olivet bullpen. Zach Taylor, Jordan Coakley and Leo Lunatto drove in runs against reliever Alexander DeYoung to make the game a deadlocked affair.
The contest stayed that way thanks to the strong relief provided by Rem Stewart and Matt Donahue, who combined for five innings of scoreless two-hit pitching.
That pitching set the stage for Roosevelt's 11th inning. Coakley hit a ball to third and hustled to first to beat the throw for an infield single, and Lunatto laid down a sacrifice bunt that pitcher Owen Oliver attempted to field and throw to second. However, a sliding Coakley beat the throw and both runners were safe to get the RU crowd stirring.
After a strikeout, Joey Fox hit a ground ball that was fielded by second baseman Logan Matson. Matson attempted to quickly step on the second-base bag for the force, but the ball escaped from his glove and Lunatto was called safe.
That set up Graefen, who hit a ball to Matson that the second baseman was able to field and get to shortstop Ryan Campbell for the force at second. Graefen hurried down the first-base line and Campbell saw the writing on the wall as he was unable to unleash a throw that would beat Graefen for an inning-ending double-play, allowing Coakley to cruise in with the game-winning run and ignite a celebration.
Donahue earned the decision in another victorious relief effort for the Palos Heights native.
Roosevelt took the lead in game one with two runs in the bottom of the first, thanks to Taylor and Lunatto hitting RBI singles.
Olivet Nazarene responded with a three-run third, as DH Tyler Fisher hit a go-ahead two-run single.
The Tigers repeated the feat the following inning with three more runs. The devastating blow was a hit that didn't travel far, as R.W. Rienow attempted a squeeze bunt toward the third base line that allowed runners from second and third to come home safely.
Lunatto drove in a run in the bottom of the same inning on an RBI groundout, but that's all the Lakers could muster the rest of the way.
Nick Simak threw nearly four innings of three-hit, one-run relief in the opener.
Roosevelt gets a break from game action until Saturday, when the Lakers host St. Francis (Ill.) at Ozinga Field in doubleheader action at 1 p.m.
