MELBOURNE, Fla. – Roosevelt started off its 2025 trip to Florida by splitting its first four games in the Sunshine State at the Space Coast Games in Melbourne on Monday and Tuesday.

The Lakers (6-6) split their games on both days with the Lakers offense coming alive more on Tuesday. Roosevelt opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over Davis & Elkins before falling 6-2 to Wheeling. On Tuesday, the Lakers walked off Holy Family 4-3 before their comeback against Walsh fell short at 10-5.

ROOSEVELT 3, DAVIS & ELKINS 1
Roosevelt came out ready to go in its first game in Florida with back-to-back hits to start the bottom of the first inning against the Senators. Ella Dvoracek led off with a single then scored on a monstrous double off the bat of Athena Pomele-Pen. Brynn Dvoracek drove in Pomele-Pen with a groundout. Pomele-Pen wasn't done, though, ripping a triple in the fifth inning to score Libby Kreykes and add an insurance run.

Riley Czarnecki didn't need much run support with a dominant six innings in the circle for the Lakers. The freshman struck out three batters and allowed just three hits before Kailey Hancock pitched a perfect seventh for her first save of the season.

WHEELING 6, ROOSEVELT 2
The Lakers couldn't get much offense going until it was too late in Monday's second game against the Cardinals. Kailey Hancock kept Wheeling off the board for four innings, but a streak of walks in the fifth allowed the Cardinals to break the game open with six runs. Brynn Dvoracek hit a two-run double in the sixth for Roosevelt's only runs of the
contest.

ROOSEVELT 4, HOLY FAMILY 3
Roosevelt's offense came through in the clutch twice to lift the Lakers to a win over the Tigers in the first game of the day Tuesday. Trailing 3-1 in the sixth inning, the Lakers scored twice in the sixth inning to tie the game before scoring again in the bottom of the seventh to win it.

Holy Family took the lead in the top of the sixth with two runs before Kailey Hancock ended the frame with a strikeout. Bianca Gallegos started the bottom of the frame with a single and Ava Kaspar followed with a single of her own. A wild pitch moved up both runners 60 feet to set the table for Libby Kreykes, who launched a two-run single to tie the game.

In the seventh, Brynn Dvoracek began the inning by getting plunked and Gallegos followed with another single. Reyna Hyliard executed a perfect sacrifice to move the runners over, and Kaspar came up and hit what might have been the winning sacrifice fly if the Tigers outfielder didn't drop it, allowing Dvoracek to score the winning run anyway. Kaspar finished the game with her first two collegiate hits in three official at-bats.  

Both teams scored in the first inning with the Lakers again taking advantage of a fielding miscue by Holy Family to put a runner on base. Brynn Dvoracek eventually tied the game at 1 with an RBI groundout that scored her sister, Ella, who reached on the error. The Lakers had plenty of chances to break the deadlock in the subsequent innings, but didn't manage to find the big hit.

Hancock went 6.1 innings in the circle, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out five Tigers. Riley Czarnecki earned the last two outs and picked up her fifth win of the season when the Lakers scored in the bottom of the seventh.

WALSH 10, ROOSEVELT 5
A disastrous first inning was too much for the Lakers to overcome against the Cavaliers despite their best efforts. Walsh scored six runs in the first inning, but just one of them was earned as Roosevelt's two errors helped keep the inning alive. The Cavaliers then tacked on three more runs in the third before Roosevelt's comeback began in the bottom of the fourth.

Gallegos started the inning off with a single then moved all the way to third when Isis Enriquez reached on an error. Hyliard walked to load the bases for Angelina Diaz, who reached first on a fielding error by the catcher, which ultimately allowed two runs to score. Ella Dvoracek laid down the sacrifice bunt to score Hyliard and Pomele-Pen hit a single to complete the four-run inning.

Ella Dvoracek added a fifth run for the Lakers in the sixth inning, going from first to third on a collection of errors after a Caitlin Williams grounder to third base. Roosevelt finished with just three hits in the game, but Walsh made seven errors to help keep the Lakers in the game late.

Catie Luzzi started the game for the Lakers and took the loss, but Roosevelt's relievers did their part to limit the damage. Hancock and Rebecca Urbaniak pitch the final 4.1 innings and allowed just two hits and an unearned run while striking out four batters to keep the comeback hopes alive for the Lakers.

UP NEXT: The Lakers are off Wednesday but return to action in Florida on Thursday with contests against Goldey-Beacom and Walsh.