ROSEMONT, Ill. – Kailey Hancock threw a three-hit shutout to cap off a wild Friday for Roosevelt at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont.
The Lakers managed to sweep their two games in the morning, but not without some of the chaos that has come to be expected from this group. Roosevelt won the day's first game 9-8 over Upper Iowa in a contest that featured several twists and turns. Hancock then settled down the nerves with her standout pitching performance for a 4-0 win over Bemidji State.
Roosevelt 4, Bemidji State 0
Roosevelt (4-2) made sure Hancock would have a lead when she took the circle by scoring a big run in the top of the first inning. Ella Dvoracek led off the game with a walk and the next two Lakers batters simply replaced the junior on the base paths to bring up Kennedi Robien. The freshman made no mistake on her pitch, driving the ball deep into the gap in right centerfield for the go-ahead double.
Hancock found herself in some early trouble in the bottom of the frame when a single put runners on second and third with one out. However, the junior retired the next 12 batters she faced and didn't have to sweat again until the sixth inning.
Meanwhile, the Lakers added to their lead in the fifth with Robien again starting the party with an infield single to the right side. Ava Kaspar smashed a single up the middle then an error from the Beavers infield allowed the bases to be loaded with one out. Lundin Cornelius beat out a throw to the plate on Libby Kreykes' groundball then Isis Enriquez blew open the game with a double down the right-field line to plate two more.
There wasn't much for Hancock to worry about in the circle as she induced fly ball after fly ball to her talented outfielders. The nerves came when the Beavers connected on a double in the sixth inning and a line drive to Sophia Barofsky was ruled to hit the ground, cancelling the second out. An error loaded the bases for Bemidji State, but Hancock earned a swinging strikeout and a pop fly to Barofsky to end the threat.
Hancock put the exclamation point on Roosevelt's win with her fourth strikeout of the day for the final out of the seventh. Robien finished 3 for 4 with an RBI and Enriquez was 2 for 4 with her pair of RBIs.
Roosevelt 9, Upper Iowa 8
Roosevelt benefited from a pair of two-out errors in the seventh inning to tie the game then take the lead against the Peacocks. Kendall Pearson blasted her second double of the game in the top of the seventh and Cornelius tried to score from first but was thrown out at home plate for the second out of the inning.
Barofsky hit a tricky fly ball to right field that bounced out of the fielder's glove allowing Pearson to score. Enriquez singled to put runners on the corners and Dvoracek's slapper was booted by the third baseman, allowing Barofsky to take home.
The top of the seventh put a bow on a strange game that saw momentum swing several times before the Lakers finished with it. Roosevelt again scored in the first inning as Sullivan forced herself into a rundown after a single to allow Urbaniak to score after her double in the previous at-bat. Yet the Peacocks responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead in their first swings.
Undeterred, the Lakers quickly put a runner on base for Pearson, who laced a double down the right-field line to put runners on second and third. Barofsky then delivered with a two-run single to tie the game and moved up 60 feet on the throw to the plate. That extra distance made a difference when the Upper Iowa pitcher slipped fielding Dvoracek's bunt and allowed Barofsky to round third and slide safely into home plate for a 4-3 lead.
Robien walked in the third and was replaced by Caitlin Williams on the base paths, and the senior quickly swiped second base. Kreykes struck out swinging to presumably end the inning, but the catcher dropped the third strike and it sputtered away. A heads up Williams raced toward third base and Kreykes was able to reach with the throw to first allowing Williams to add a run.
Roosevelt found itself in trouble in the bottom of the third with the bases loaded and one out while protecting a one-run lead. Catie Luzzi induced a ground ball back to her and was able to get the second out at home plate. It seemed like she escaped again when the next batter rolled a grounder to Barofsky who flipped to second for an out.
Except the umpires conferenced after the out was called and the verdict was overturned, allowing the tying run to score. Upper Iowa took the lead on a single with the next batter before the Lakers were finally able to escape.
The Peacocks padded their lead with a homer in the fifth inning to make it 8-5, but the Lakers had some two-out magic in them for the sixth. Dvoracek laid down the perfect bunt in front of home plate to reach safely, then Urbaniak rocketed a single into left field, moving Dvoracek to third while taking advantage of the throw to advance to second base. Sullivan delivered a single up the middle to score both runners and make it a one-score game.
Riley Czarnecki threw a nearly flawless three innings in relief to earn the victory, allowing one hit and striking out four of the 11 batters she faced. Pearson was a perfect 4 for 4 at the dish, scoring two runs out of the No. 7 spot in the lineup. The top of Roosevelt's lineup did its job well with Dvoracek recording two hits, Urbaniak going 3 for 5 and Sullivan batting 2 for 4 with her three RBIs.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt has just one game Saturday, but will need to wait until 8 p.m. to face William Jewell at the dome.
