ROSEMONT, Ill. – Roosevelt couldn't string together hits at the critical junctures in a heartbreaking sweep at the hands of Trinity Christian on Tuesday in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont.

In the first game of the day, the Lakers (12-10, 4-4 CCAC) allowed the winning run in the top of the seventh inning in a 3-2 loss to the Trolls. It spoiled the first complete game of the season for a Lakers pitcher as Samantha Norman picked up the hard-luck loss after fanning nine without walking a batter in seven innings. Only two of Norman's three runs against were earned with one run coming off an error in left field.

Norman struck out three in the first inning but did so around a pair of hits that allowed Trinity Christian to open up a lead. A single in the second inning allowed the runner who reached on an error to score then Norman didn't allow another hit until the sixth inning. In that inning, the junior stranded the go-ahead run on third with consecutive strikeouts. Norman retired the first two batters she faced in the seventh inning as well, but a pair of well-placed hits allowed the Trolls to take the lead and the victory.

Roosevelt had its chances to put some pressure on Trinity Christian, but mostly couldn't come up with the right play in the crucial moments. In the first inning, Emily Zuniga found the gap with a liner but was thrown out trying to stretch the single into the double. In the third inning, the Lakers had runners on second and third with one out and were able to scratch across a run. They left Eliza Belter at third after her one-out double in the fourth inning and stranded Athena Pomele-Pen at third after her leadoff triple in the sixth.

The only RBI the Lakers had in the first game came courtesy of Pomele-Pen, who followed a Brynn Dvoracek double in the second inning with a single. Two batters later, Belter launched a single that allowed Pomele-Pen to go first to third to set up a double steal that tied the game. The second inning produced three of Roosevelt's nine hits in the game as well as its only two runs.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Trolls were able to score twice in the sixth inning to escape with a 2-1 win. Pomele-Pen was moved into the leadoff spot for the first time all season and it paid off with a double to lead off the bottom of the first. Bailee Reynolds laid down an excellent sacrifice bunt to move Pomele-Pen to third then Kirstin Fudge hit the sacrifice fly to score the run and give the Lakers an early lead.

After the Lakers took the 1-0 lead, the defenses for both teams began to shine. In the second inning, Norman fielded a one-hop single and caught the Trolls runner slipping trying to go toward second base. Her throw to Dvoracek at first was late to beat that runner, but in perfect time for Dvoracek to whip the ball to Pomele-Pen to tag out the runner at second trying to go to third. In the fourth inning, Belter turned an inning-ending double play by hosing down the runner trying to advance from second to third on a flyout to right field. Trinity Christian returned the favor in the bottom of the fourth by throwing on Fudge at home as she tried to tag up on a flyout to center field.

Trinity Christian was finally able to string some hits together off Kate Sisson in the sixth with back-to-back doubles to tie the game. The Trolls added the go-ahead single with two outs, putting the pressure back on the Lakers. Roosevelt almost found its break after Reynolds drew a two-out walk as she quickly advanced to third on a passed ball and wild pitch. However, Anaisa Lozada was just a tad ahead of a 3-2 offering and popped up to the third baseman to end the threat.

Pomele-Pen had two of Roosevelt's three hits in the second half of the doubleheader while Fudge had the other one in her only official at-bat of the game. The Lakers left just four runners on base in the game, but put only seven people on base in the contest through four walks and three hits.

The Lakers have a quick turnaround to bounce back from the defeats as they host Judson on Wednesday in a doubleheader in Rosemont starting at 3 p.m. The games were made-up from rainouts on March 31 then again on April 4.