The Lakeland University baseball team manufactured runs time and again and swept a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon against Northland College on the Muskies' home field.
Lakeland defeated the LumberJacks by scores of 5-4 and 8-5 to improve to 10-12 overall this season. The Muskies continued to close in on their win total from all of last season, and they are now just three shy of their 13 wins in 2016 with at least 16 games left on the schedule this season.
Lakeland's offense was not explosive, but it was consistent in adding to its run count all day. The Muskies didn't score more than two runs in an inning all day but plated runs in nine of their 12 times at bat.
The hosts rallied from deficits of 3-2 and 4-3 in the first game, including pushing across the go-ahead run in the sixth.
Sam Martin (
Sr.-Milton, Wis.) doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on a successful sacrifice bunt by
Kenny Pekarek (
Sr.-Sagola, Mich.).
Connor Hilburn (
So.-Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) then hit a grounder to shortstop that was enough for Martin to come in and score and give Lakeland a 5-4 lead.
The Muskies' offense was even more opportunistic in the second game, scoring its eight runs on just six hits and coming with at least one run in five of their six at bats.
Drew Richard (
Jr.-Kieler, Wis.) singled with the bases loaded to score a pair in the first for a 2-0 lead, and Hilburn singled in a run and another scored on an error to make it 4-0 in the second.
Jody Harrison (
So.-Pontiac, Mich.) and
Travis Regalado (
So.-Willcox, Ariz.) both hit sac flies to add to Lakeland's total, and then Hilburn added a big blast in the sixth, a two-run homer to left for an 8-2 lead that would hold up even as the LumberJacks scored three times in the seventh.
Christian Arthurs (
Fr.-North Fond du Lac, Wis.) had three hits and scored two runs in the first game, while Martin and
Cameron Sharp (
So.-Pflugerville, Texas) added two hits each. Sharp also walked three times and was hit by a pitch in the second game, scoring three times with an official at bat.
Jaired Dozier (
So.-Colorado Springs, Colo.) also added two hits in the second game.
Dylan Royce (
Fr.-Nekoosa, Wis.) went 6 1/3 innings in the opener and allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) with six strikeouts for his third win of the season.
Ryan Oharriz (
So.-Pembroke Pines, Fla.) came on to record the final two outs and picked up his second save.
Jack Banks (
Fr.-Mountain View, Calif.) got the start in the second game and allowed two hits and two runs (one earned) with three strikeouts for his first collegiate win.
Jake Morris hit a home run and drove in all four runs in the first game for Northland (4-14 overall), which was playing for the second straight day after splitting a doubleheader with UW-Superior yesterday. Sam Lehman also added three hits, including a double, triple and two RBIs.
The Muskies are on the road next when they play Saturday at Aurora (Ill.) University in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference twinbill beginning at noon in Aurora, Ill.
