ELGIN, Ill. – Roosevelt used some clutch hitting from Diego Munoz to win the first half of a scheduled Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Tuesday against Judson in Elgin.

Munoz's sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning gave the Lakers a 7-6 victory in the first half, and Roosevelt was leading the second game 8-6 when it was suspended due to darkness. The game will be resumed April 25 when the Eagles and Lakers meet for the final game in the series at Ozinga Field in Crestwood.

Roosevelt (19-12, 8-7 CCAC) jumped out to an early lead on the Eagles in the first game with Bryce Hayman drawing a leadoff walk and Daniel Gutierrez following with a single. Two batters later, Munoz lined a single into left field to plate Hayman for the first run of the game.

The top of the lineup committed far more damage in their second go-around at the plate to help the Lakers score five runs in the third inning. Hayman and Gutierrez led off the frame with singles and each of the next three batters drove in a run with a hit of their own. Sherman Martin's double allowed Hayman to score then Munoz drove in Gutierrez with his second single of the day. Hunter Darst then brought home Martin with a single before the Lakers recorded their first out.

Jaylen Heard loaded the bases by drawing a walk setting up Jojo Mack's single into right field and Hayman's infield single to increase the lead to 6-0. Heard, unfortunately, was caught in a rundown and tagged out at third on a pickoff play to end the inning.

After putting up eight hits and six runs in the first three innings, the game began to take a turn for Roosevelt. Connor Houlahan had breezed through the first three innings, but the reliever tired a bit in the fourth inning and gave Judson some life. The Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the frame, and it could have been more had Kyle Winston not induced an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.

Judson added another run in the fifth that was charged to Winston, but the backbreaker came in the seventh. A leadoff walk came around to score for the Eagles to tie the game in the bottom of the last inning, and Connor Collins escaped a bases loaded jam to force extra innings. Collins then averted disaster after allowing a one-out double in the eighth, sparking the Lakers in the ninth.

Once again, it was Hayman and Gutierrez putting pressure on Judson's defense with Hayman leading off with a single then Gutierrez taking first after getting hit by a pitch. An infield single loaded the bases for Munoz, who drove in his third run of the game with a deep fly to center field. Darst was then robbed of a hit and Martin was doubled off at first base. Collins protected the 7-6 lead with a perfect ninth inning, allowing just one run on four hits with six strikeouts in five innings of relief for his second win of the season.

There was plenty of offense brewing in the second half of the doubleheader as well with the teams combining for 17 hits and 14 runs before darkness suspended the game. Darst gave the Lakers a 1-0 lead in the first with a double, but the Eagles hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning. Roosevelt responded to tie the game on Ben Compton's two-run shot in the second before Martin gave the Lakers the lead again with an RBI single.

Judson reclaimed the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third, but once again there was a quick response from Roosevelt. Blanchard cleared the bases with a double then scored two batters later on Ben Compton's single to give the Lakers an 8-5 advantage. Judson quickly scored one in the bottom of the fourth prior to the game being suspended with a runner on third and no one out in the inning.

Roosevelt is next in action Friday in Davenport, Iowa as it opens a three-game set with St. Ambrose at 5 p.m. at Modern Woodmen Park.