CHICAGO – No. 20 Davenport scored five late runs to defeat Roosevelt 7-2 on Friday in the opening game of a four-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series at Saint Xavier's baseball field in Chicago.

The first seven innings were a true pitchers duel as Kaden Foran battled his Davenport counterpart pitch for pitch. The freshman from Parkland, Florida kept the GLIAC champions at bay in those first seven innings with three strikeouts while scattering six hits across those frames. The only times a runner touched third in those innings came directly from Roosevelt's three errors in the game.

The Lakers (14-32, 4-17 GLIAC) scored first after Jack Kieffer led off the second inning by ripping a double over the left fielder's head. Kieffer moved up to third on a Kyle Jannenga fielder's choice that left runners on the corners, then Jack Hoh struck with a deep sacrifice fly RBI.
Foran's first trouble came with a two-out double in the third inning, but he was able to induce a groundout to Kieffer at first base to escape. The next inning, Foran had a runner on third with two outs after a throwing error and got an easy groundout to third base to end the frame. He looked to be cruising in the fifth inning with a pair of groundouts to open the frame before the errors caught up to the Lakers.

Davenport legged out a tough infield single to keep the fifth inning alive then sent the runner on a steal attempt. The throw skipped into centerfield, allowing the runner to move up to third, where he scored on another infield single. A second throwing error in the frame put that runner on third base before Foran fanned a batter to end the threat.

The Panthers took a 2-1 lead with a solo homer in the sixth inning as the Roosevelt bats could not find many holes in the Davenport defense. The Lakers had some momentum in the bottom of the seventh with Kieffer singling up the middle to the shortstop and Jannenga working a walk. However, Hoh's deep drive to right field was caught to end the inning.

Roosevelt allowed two more runs in the eighth inning, which seemed to wake up the offense. Quinn O'Bryan led off the bottom of the inning with a walk before Nolan Boettcher deposited a pinch-hit single into left field. James Berry advanced the runners with a groundout and Kekoa Ogawa drove in a run with a long sacrifice fly to centerfield.

It was a rough ninth for the Lakers bullpen as the Panthers scratched across three more runs on four hits before Roosevelt escaped. Davenport then ended the game on an excellent defensive play at first base on a line drive. The Panthers first baseman robbed Hoh of what likely would have been an RBI double then turned the double play at second base as Sebastian Casillas sprinted towards third base on the contact.

UP NEXT: The Lakers and Panthers will play a doubleheader back at Saint Xavier on Saturday with the first game scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.