CRESTWOOD – CJ Chalk hit a pair of solo home runs, but Grand Valley State pulled away late to sweep the four-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series with a 22-6 win Sunday at Ozinga Field.
The host Lakers found themselves down 8-1 early in the game, but stuck with the game plan and brought themselves to within 11-6 entering the seventh inning. That was when the visitors made their mark and sent 17 batters to the plate, scoring 11 runs on nine hits to blow open the game. GVSU nearly doubled its hit totals in the seventh-inning barrage and did double its run total, all of which came with two outs.
Grand Valley State struck first with three runs in the top of the second inning with its only hit going for a three-run homer. Chalk responded with a solo shot of his own and Roosevelt (9-27, 0-12 GLIAC) created a two-out threat when Quinn O'Bryan singled and Jack Hoh reached on a fielding error. Andrew Lucas drew a walk to load the bases before Maxwell Bowers was robbed of a single.
The Lakers in blue plated five more runs in the top of the third, yet the Green and White recaptured the momentum in the bottom of the frame. Roosevelt opened the inning with three straight singles and Chalk worked a walk to bring a run across. O'Bryan legged out a fielder's choice to disrupt a double-play chance, allowing another run to score, then Hoh lined a single into left field to score a third run and cut the deficit to 8-4.
Jace Dominic took over in the middle of GVSU's third-inning surge and extinguished the fire. He continued that in the fourth inning when he caught a batter looking at strike three to strand the bases loaded without allowing a run. Chalk cut into Grand Valley State's lead even more with an RBI single after Bowers reached on a throwing error in the bottom of the frame.
Grand Valley State led off the fifth with a solo homer then added two more in the sixth, both of which were also charged to Dominic, who threw three innings of relief for the Lakers. Chalk continued his stellar game in the bottom of the sixth with his second solo home run of the game, becoming the third Roosevelt player to hit multiple homers in a game this season.
Roosevelt nearly escaped the seventh inning with two quick outs after a leadoff double, but the wind took over at Ozinga Field. GVSU launched a pair of two-run homers then added a three-run jack later in the frame to throttle any momentum Roosevelt had in the game.
Chalk went 3 for 3 with his two home runs and four RBI while Hoh and O'Bryan also added multiple hits and an RBI each in the game.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt will stay at home next weekend when it welcomes No. 21 Wayne State to Ozinga Field for a four-game series starting Friday at 3 p.m. The Lakers will honor their senior class prior to Friday's contest with Senior Day festivities scheduled to begin at roughly 2:15.
