ROSEMONT – Roosevelt dropped both ends of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Sunday at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex against conference-leading Saginaw Valley State on Senior Day.
The Lakers struggled to muster up much offense against the Cardinals, combining for two hits in the two games. Saginaw Valley State took advantage of a pair of first-inning errors in a 5-0 win to open the day. The Cardinals finished with a 10-0 run-rule victory to drop Roosevelt to 9-27 overall and 3-13 in the GLIAC, four wins out of a spot in the conference tournament.
Catie Luzzi threw all seven innings for Roosevelt in the first game and allowed just six hits with only one of the five runs she allowed being earned. The sophomore did uncork a wild pitch to allow a run to score in the first, but was composed after the Cardinals put up four runs in the frame. In the longest outing of her career, Luzzi allowed just one run over the final six innings while scattering four hits to keep Roosevelt competitive.
The offense did not back up Luzzi, however, as Roosevelt was held without a hit for the second time this season. The Lakers found almost every other way to reach base, though, with Madisyn Schrad getting aboard on an error in the second inning, Sydni Taylor being hit by a pitch and Sophia Barofsky reaching on catcher's interference. There was even a traditional walk from Caitlin Williams in the fifth, but the Lakers didn't put anyone past second base.
Roosevelt turned to Kailey Hancock to right the ship in the second game, but a costly error in the first inning extended the frame for the Cardinals to hit a bases-clearing triple with two outs. Ava Kaspar broke through with a single in the second inning to put two runners on base, but the Lakers stranded the pair on the base paths.
Saginaw Valley State pushed the game into run-rule territory with five runs in the top of the fifth, and the Lakers had a last gasp in them. Kaspar and Williams both walked then Ella Dvoracek moved the runners up with a groundout. But Roosevelt couldn't find the game-extending hit.
Schrad also added a single in the fourth inning for Roosevelt and reached in both of her plate appearances in the second game. Overall, the junior catcher reached base in three of her five plate appearances with two walks in addition to her single.
Between the two games Sunday, Roosevelt honored its two senior student-athletes – Sydni Taylor and Caitlin Williams – as well as team manager Aby Medina in honor of Senior Day.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt travels to Michigan on Saturday for a twinbill against Grand Valley State before taking on Purdue Northwest on the road Sunday in a doubleheader.
