CHICAGO – Roosevelt's 2025 season ended Saturday with a pair of competitive losses to Saginaw Valley State in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader hosted at Saint Xavier University.
The two games had opposite feels as the Lakers (12-37, 3-21 GLIAC) led for most of the opener before playing catch up for the entire second game. The Cardinals rallied for some late runs to nip the Lakers 3-2 in the first game of the day. Saginaw Valley State scored three runs in the first inning of game two and held on for a 7-4 win.
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE 3, ROOSEVELT 2
The Lakers picked up where they left off Friday evening in Saturday's opener with strong pitching and timely hitting leading the way. Quinn O'Bryan led off the Roosevelt half of the first with a single, stole second then advanced to third on Ian Bagaconza's hard grounder to second base. That set the stage for Tyler Ruete, who launched a double over the left fielder's head and easily scored O'Bryan.
Jack Hoh led off the second with a single and Christian Degroot added a base knock of his own before Andrew Lucas loaded the bases by drawing a walk. O'Bryan hit a weak grounder up the first-base line, but the Cardinals were able to field it for the second out, eliminating the threat with a strikeout right after.
Roosevelt was able to add to its lead in the third thanks to a little help from the Cardinals' battery. Alejandro Munoz singled through the left side then was nearly thrown out trying to steal second. However, the throw skipped past the infielders and allowed Munoz to take third base. A few pitches later, a wild pitch skipped to the backstop and Munoz scored with ease.
Meanwhile, Anthony Sorrentino picked up a pair of strikeouts in the first inning for Roosevelt then added two more in the second. The senior threw a perfect third inning as well before finding trouble in the fourth. The Cardinals put runners on the corners with one out, but Hoh was able to throw out a runner trying to steal second to give Sorrentino some breathing room. However, SVSU was able to plate the runner from third on a single.
A throwing error kept the fifth inning alive for Saginaw Valley State, and the Cardinals tied the game with that extra life. SVSU took the lead in the sixth when a leadoff double scored on a balk and wild pitch, and the Lakers didn't have a response. Roosevelt had just two hits after taking the 2-0 lead with the first single being wiped out trying to steal second and the second hit being eliminated on a fielder's choice.
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE 7, ROOSEVELT 4
O'Bryan went 4 for 5 with two runs scored in the second game, but the Lakers were playing catch up for most of the game after allowing three runs in the first. Roosevelt did respond with two runs in the bottom of the first, a rally O'Bryan started with a leadoff double. Ian Bagaconza followed with an RBI single then Hoh eventually plated Bagaconza with a single. The Lakers did load the bases with one out in the first, but a strikeout and weak groundout ended the threat.
Harrison Kowalski briefly tied the game with a leadoff homer in the second inning, but Saginaw Valley State reclaimed the lead with a run in the third. The first four runs of the day came off a trio of senior pitchers for Roosevelt, but when the Lakers turned the ball over to Kaden Foran, he shone.
Pitching on short rest after throwing Tuesday against Illinois, Foran allowed just four hits and two runs in 5.1 innings. He gave up just two hits over his final five innings, keeping the Lakers within striking distance with his gutsy effort.
O'Bryan hit his second double of the game to start the seventh inning then Bagaconza walked to bring the tying run to the plate. Ruete, the Lakers' leader in home runs, grounded into an unfortunate double play that put O'Bryan in position to score on a wild pitch shortly thereafter.
