HAMMOND, Ind. – Roosevelt's late-inning rally fell short as Purdue Northwest finished off a sweep of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday in Hammond, Ind.
In the day's first game, the Pride made a five-run third inning count in holding off the Lakers 7-3. Roosevelt (9-20, 0-6 GLIAC) fell behind again in the second game, but put up five runs in the seventh inning then one more in the ninth to tie the game. However, Purdue Northwest came through with a two-out single for a 9-8 walk-off win.
PURDUE NORTHWEST 7, ROOSEVELT 3
The first two innings were uneventful for both sides and both teams managed to escape allowing a two-out double. Yet, the Lakers couldn't avoid the big inning in the third as Purdue Northwest scored five runs on three hits and stranded the bases loaded.
Roosevelt got a run back in the fifth when Jack Hoh drew a walk then Quinn O'Bryan followed with a single. That set the stage for Maxwell Bowers to line a single up the middle that scored Hoh and allowed both Bowers and O'Bryan to advance another base on the throw. The Lakers nearly went to the seventh down just 5-1, but a pair of two-out miscues allowed the Pride to tack on two more runs.
The Lakers put up a fight in the seventh inning with Hoh leading off with a single followed by O'Bryan reaching on an error. CJ Chalk advanced the runners with a ground out before Bowers also reached on an error that allowed Hoh to score. Alejandro Munoz brought home O'Bryan with a single and sent Bowers to third on the same hit.
PURDUE NORTHWEST 9, ROOSEVELT 8
It was another slow start for the Lakers after the Pride recorded three straight two-out hits to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Roosevelt responded in the third with an RBI single from Bowers that plated Kyle Jannenga, who led off the inning with a 13-pitch walk. The 2-1 deficit did not last long with Purdue Northwest answering with four runs in the bottom of the third, three of which were unearned.
The deficit grew to 7-1 when in the fifth inning, Hoh hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Andrew Lucas after he led off the frame with a double. Roosevelt came to bat in the seventh with Purdue Northwest leading 8-2, but that is when the bats got hot for the Lakers.
Roosevelt bashed six hits and scored five runs to make it a one-run game as the Lakers batted around in the inning. Lucas began with a walk then Jannenga singled into left field and Hoh flared a single into right field to score Lucas. O'Bryan hit a single down the right-field line, allowing Jannenga to score while Hoh was barely caught trying to go first to third.
Bowers delivered an RBI double with two outs before Munoz walked and Tyler Ruete smacked a single up the middle to plate Bowers. Ian Bagaconza followed up with a single up the middle that allowed Munoz to score as well before the lineup turned over back to Lucas.
The Roosevelt bullpen held firm by allowing just two runs over five innings to set up the Lakers to make a comeback attempt. Bowers started the ninth inning with a single for his third hit of the game and Munoz laid down the sacrifice bunt to advance the runner. Ruete smashed a double into left field to tie the game and put the go-ahead run in scoring position.
A dropped third strike allowed Bagaconza to reach and pinch runner Arthur Stamps to move 90 feet away from giving Roosevelt the lead. Jannenga drew a two-out walk to load the bases, but the Lakers had to settle for a tie game entering the bottom of the ninth. Roosevelt allowed a leadoff double and nearly escaped on an inning-ending 3-6-3 double play, but the Pride beat out the throw back to first base to extend the inning for the walk-off hit.
UP NEXT: The two teams will finish their series Monday with a doubleheader in Indiana starting at noon.
