Matt Benninghoff (Jr.-Highland, Ind.) delivered a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning in the first game and the Lakeland University baseball team's day got even better after that as it closed out a doubleheader sweep of Wisconsin Lutheran College Wednesday afternoon.

The Muskies scored a 1-0 win in the first game and then came back for a 5-4 victory in the second game of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference set. Lakeland prevailed in its long-delayed home opener and swept a twinbill for the first time since March 11 in improving to 7-15 overall and 3-9 in the NACC.

The Muskies received outstanding pitching and timely rallies in winning a pair of briskly played games. It started in the opener, a sub two-hour game where both teams' pitchers threw up zeroes until the final at bat of last frame.

Lakeland put together the winning rally when Peyton Knoll (Jr.-Linden, Mich.) singled to lead off the ninth, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then stole third base. With one out, Benninghoff when went the opposite way with a lined smash out of the reach of diving Warriors first baseman Joe Hanson, scoring Knoll with the winning run.

Lakeland's Connor Hilburn (Jr.-Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and WLC's Ben Veenstra both pitched at least eight innings. Hilburn went 8 1/3 and allowed five hits before Noah Suissa (Fr.-Belmont, Calif.) came on and worked out of a jam with second and third and one out in the ninth. Veenstra pitched eight-plus and allowed five hits while fanning six, but departed in the ninth after Knoll's lead-off hit and was the hard-luck losing pitcher.

The Muskies came from behind in the second game, battling back after falling behind 3-1 in the second inning. Lakeland was still down 4-2 in the sixth when it made its move.

Travis Regalado (Jr.-Willcox, Ariz.) led off the inning with a long home run to left center, and the Muskies loaded the bases later in the inning with one out. Knoll then hit a grounder up the middle to bounce into a fielder's choice, but the relay throw to first attempting to complete a double play was wild, allowing both Benninghoff and Hunter Garling (So.-Perkins, Mich.) to score.

The Muskies again got solid pitching in the second game as relievers Jack Banks (So.-Mountain View, Calif.), Tayler Johann (So.-Colleyville, Texas) and Ryan Oharriz (Jr.-Pembroke Pines, Fla.) pitched 4 1/3 hitless innings. Lakeland especially dodged a tricky in the situation when Johann came on with runners at first and second and induced an inning-ending 5-3 double play, and Oharriz closed it out for his first save of the season.

Hilburn finished with two hits in each game, while Benninghoff and Garling both added hits in each game. Chris Sheputis (Fr.-Romeoville, Ill.) started on the hill in the second game and allowed seven hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings in his first collegiate start.

Lakeland returns to the field Saturday to face Milwaukee School of Engineering on the road in Milwaukee for a doubleheader starting at noon.