SAINT LEO, Fla. – Roosevelt's late-inning rallies fell short Saturday in a doubleheader against Saint Leo in Florida.
The Lakers (3-11) fell 12-7 in the first game of the day before the Lions took the second game 10-6. In the opener, Saint Leo jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Roosevelt scored six times in the fifth inning. Roosevelt cut its deficit to 5-4 in the second game before the Lions added four runs to hold off the Lakers' charge.
SAINT LEO 12, ROOSEVELT 7
Saint Leo's pitching faced the minimum in the first four innings with a double play and pickoff eliminating Roosevelt's only two base runners. Meanwhile, the Lions scored 10 runs in the first three innings to look well on their way to an easy victory.
Instead, Danny Mackey came on in the fourth inning for Roosevelt and threw 3.1 innings of standout relief effort. He allowed just one hit and didn't give up a run until the eighth inning to give the Lakers plenty of time to mount a comeback.
The rally began in the fifth inning with a four-pitch walk to Cooper Ohlson followed by a five-pitch free pass to Andrew Lucas. Arturo Roldan advanced everyone 90 feet with a single into left field and forced a pitching change for Saint Leo.
Quinn O'Bryan's fly ball into centerfield was deep enough for an RBI sacrifice fly that scored Ohlson. Kyle Jannenga followed with a run-scoring single then Nolan Boettcher reached on a fielder's choice that put runners on the corners with two outs. CJ Chalk's single to left field scored another run and Maxwell Bowers loaded the bases with an infield single. Alejandro Munoz promptly cleared the bases with a double to bring Ohlson back up to the plate.
Roosevelt added its last run in the ninth inning as it tried to finish off the improbable comeback. An error allowed O'Bryan to reach and move up to second then Adam Klaybor delivered a single to send O'Bryan to third. Chalk picked up a second RBI in the game with a groundout before the Lions shut the door.
SAINT LEO 10, ROOSEVELT 6
Roosevelt immediately put itself in a position to score in the first inning with Chalk reaching third after a leadoff walk. However, he was caught between bases on a Munoz groundball and Munoz ended up at second while Chalk was tagged out on the base paths.
Saint Leo scored in its half of the first, but the Lakers responded with two runs in the second courtesy of a two-run single from Lucas. The Lions tied the game in the bottom of the second then tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning. Bowers helped the Lakers nearly tie the game in the fifth with a triple to score Chalk, who walked a batter prior. A throwing error on a groundball from the next batter allowed Bowes to score.
The score stayed 5-4 Lions heading into the bottom of the seventh when Saint Lion chipped in four more runs. O'Bryan hit an RBI single in the eighth and Klaybor added an RBI groundout later in the frame, but that was all the Lakers could muster.
Ian Bagaconza was 2 for 4 with a pair of runs scored while Chalk finished 1 for 2 with three walks in the setback.
UP NEXT: Weather permitting, Roosevelt will host its first home contest of the season Wednesday when it welcomes Parkside to Ozinga Park for a non-conference matchup.
