Lakeland University maximized its opportunities at the plate and Taylor Bush (Sr.-Waukesha, Wis.) had a successful first start of the season pitching in a 6-3 win over Dominican University in the first game of a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader Tuesday.

The Muskies turned just seven base runners into six runs in the first game of the day. Dominican came back to win a pitchers' duel in the second, holding on for a 3-1 win to gain the split and leaving both teams still at the .500 mark in conference play.

Bush made her first start in the circle this season and went all seven innings. She worked through traffic, allowing eight hits and four walks but just three runs (two earned), inducing ten outs each by ground ball and fly ball.

Lakeland (11-13 overall, 4-4 NACC) was held to just five hits in the opener but still scored in four different innings. Much of the work was done at the top of the order. Meghan Etten (Sr.-Elkhorn, Wis.) reached three times, including two hits and a walk, and also scored twice and drove in a run, Cheyenne Mathas (Fr.-St. John, Ind.) tripled to drive in a run in the third, and Amber Andersen (So.-Chicago, Ill.) twice drove in runs with ground outs.

Caitlin Fitzgerald (Jr.-Chicago, Ill.) also added important insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out, two run single to give Lakeland a 6-2 lead. Those runs proved important in the seventh, when Dominican scored once and put a runner at third before Bush induced a fly out by Katie Fredrick to end the game.

The second game saw hurlers Allyson Dilday of Dominican and Lakeland's Leah Binsfeld (So.-Kaukauna, Wis.) both in control, putting up zeroes on the scoreboard as the game remained scoreless until the sixth.

The Stars (14-12 overall, 5-5 NACC) broke through with three runs, including a double by Fredrick to drive in the first run. The ball never left the infield the rest of the inning, but Dominican still scratched out two more runs on a fielders' choice and a ground out to build a 3-0 lead.

The Muskies had a rally in them in the seventh. Andersen tripled to lead off the inning and scored when Maddie Blankenship (Fr.-West Bend, Wis.) singled to center for her first collegiate hit and RBI. Binsfeld later singled to move Blankenship up to third, and pinch runner Sydney Wickman (So.-Quinnesec, Mich.) moved to second on a foul out behind home plate to put the tying run at second with two outs. Dilday finally won a battle with pinch hitter Lindsay Cudecki (Jr.-Chicago, Ill.), though, getting a strike out to end the game.

Binsfeld had two of Lakeland's five hits at the plate and took the loss, allowing nine hits and three runs with three strikeouts. Dilday allowed five hits and struck out two to get the win.

The Muskies are back home again Saturday when they welcome Alverno College for a doubleheader starting at noon.