Mikayla Hilton (Jr.-Port Washington, Wis.) hit a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning and the Lakeland College softball team defeated Marian University 7-3 to cap a pair of dramatic wins in an important Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader sweep Wednesday late afternoon.

The Muskies also edged the Sabres 8-7 in the first game on a game-winning single by Jessica Beaudry (So.-Gladstone, Mich.) with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the two wins, Lakeland extended its win streak to seven games and moved past Marian into fifth place in the NACC standings at 8-6 in conference play and 16-12 overall.

The Muskies had been held in check in the second game and trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the fifth but loaded the bases on consecutive singles to start the inning by Calie Delisi (So.-Oak Forest, Ill.), Jocelyn Yeager (Jr.-Elm Grove, Wis.) and Angela Tribuzio (So.-Huntley, Ill.). Lakeland then got all the runs it would need with one swing, as Hilton hit a grand slam to left field for a 4-2 lead.

Lakeland then added three more runs in the sixth inning, with Tribuzio and Hilton adding back-to-back RBI singles and pinch runner Meghan Etten (Fr.-Elkhorn, Wis.) stealing second and third base and scoring on a wild pitch. The Muskies then added a big defensive play in the seventh after the Sabres loaded the bases with no outs, as Hailey Jester (So.-Salem, Wis.) picked a ground ball, tagged a runner and threw to first for a double play.

Lakeland also won a wild first game that saw four lead changes and a total of 27 hits between the two teams. The game went to extra innings and both teams had been quiet for a while until the Muskies' final rally saw Beaudry come up with two outs and runners at first and third when she ripped a smash to score Tribuzio for the winning run.

Marian (18-12 overall, 7-7 NACC) had previously taken a 3-0 lead in the second inning, responded to four Lakeland runs in the bottom of the second with three more runs in the fourth, and then scored a single run in the sixth to tie the game again. The Muskies got three hits each from Beaudry, Jester and Yeager plus two more hits and two RBIs from Carly Brault (So.-Brillion, Wis.), all part of a 14-hit attack.

Savannah Stenlund (So.-Rapid River, Mich.) earned the win in the opener, pitching five innings in relief and allowing three hits and one run while striking out four. She then picked up a save in the second game, covering the final 1 2/3 innings after Taylor Bush (Fr.-Waukesha, Wis.) started and pitched a strong 5 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and two runs.

Lakeland returns to action Saturday when it hosts NACC-leading Aurora (Ill.) University for a doubleheader starting at noon.