CRESTWOOD, Ill. – Roosevelt allowed a flurry of home runs to allow Trinity Christian to salvage a split of the teams' Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Monday at Ozinga Field in Crestwood.

The Lakers (14-7, 3-2 CCAC) easily won the first game of the day 10-2 and were keeping pace with the Trolls in the second game. However, Trinity Christian belted three solo home runs in the first four batters of the sixth inning to take the lead for good in an 11-6 victory. The teams combined for 28 hits in the second game of the doubleheader and the Lakers left 14 runners on base in the loss.

Trinity Christian opened the first game with a run in the first inning courtesy of a solo home run that was aided by the strong wind gusting towards left field. Roosevelt responded, though, with two runs in the bottom of the frame courtesy of Sherman Martin launching a double into dead center field.

Hunter Darst added to the lead in the third inning with an RBI double then later scored when a passed ball escaped the Trolls catcher. Two batters later, Jaylen Heard scored Martin with a single then Ben Compton drove in Heard from second with a single. The Lakers pounded out four runs on five hits in the third to take a 6-1 lead, which was more than enough for Bryan Green.

The senior righty allowed two runs and struck out four in a complete-game effort for his fourth win of the season. After Green allowed a run-scoring single in the fourth inning, Sean Blanchard hosed down a runner trying to steal second before Green set down the final 10 batters he faced.

Compton was responsible for the final four runs Roosevelt scored in the first game, though, he only added two RBIs from the effort. In the fourth inning, his groundball to the shortstop produced an error that allowed two runs to score off the errant throw. Then in the sixth, he hit a two-run single to finish the day 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

The slugfest in the second game began in the bottom of the first when Darst legged out an infield single, but a tough throw from third base allowed Daniel Gutierrez to score on the error. After the Trolls tied the game in the third inning, Martin promptly untied it with a triple into the gap in right center field in the bottom half of the frame. Heard punched a single into left field to score Martin for the last time Roosevelt led in the nightcap.

Trinity Christian took a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning before Darst slammed a single up the middle to score Blanchard and tie the game again. However, the Trolls then added the three solo home runs in the sixth inning to break the tie, and Roosevelt's earlier missed opportunities became a bigger issue. The Lakers left nine on base in the first four innings, stranding multiple runners on in each frame. Martin hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth then Luca Paolucci was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to cut the deficit to 7-6.

However, the Lakers left the bases loaded in the sixth to squander their first chance to tie the game. The second came an inning later when Martin hit a sharp line drive that Trinity Christian's second baseman snared with a dive, leaving the tying run 90 feet away. Both teams went down in order in the eighth inning before the Trolls put the game away with four runs in the ninth inning.

Martin finished the day 6 of 9 with four RBIs and a pair of runs scored while Darst was 5 for 8 with two RBIs and three runs scored across the two games. Fabian Cruz, who pinch-ran for Darst in the second game as the courtesy runner for the catcher, also scored twice in Darst's place.

The Lakers hit the road for a non-conference matchup Wednesday at 3 p.m. against NCAA Division I Eastern Illinois in Charleston.