Box Score Gm 1 RU 11 LU 10
Box Score Game 2 RU 9 LU 5

ROCKFORD, Ill. – Rockford University's Christian Garcia hit a game-winning grand slam home run in the bottom of the 10th inning of the second game of a doubleheader, capping a pair of wrenching extra-inning losses for the Lakeland University baseball team Friday at Rivets Stadium.

The Regents finished with a 9-5 win in the second game of the doubleheader, coming after an 11-10 victory in the opener. Both games ended in 10 innings, and the two heartbreaking losses dropped Lakeland to 2-5 on the season.

The Muskies staged rallies late in both games to come back from sizeable deficits, including erasing a 4-0 Rockford lead in the nightcap by scoring five times in the seventh inning. Tyler LaMack (Fr.-Pewaukee, Wis.) doubled to drive in two runs, Hunter Frisk (So.-Manteca, Calif.) singled to score LaMack with the tying run, and Dylan Penny (Jr.-River Falls, Wis.) followed with an RBI single to score Frisk with the go-ahead run and a 5-4 lead.

Rockford (5-4 overall) came right back with a run in the seventh on a two-out sacrifice fly by Peyton McCray, and the game stayed tied from there, going into extra innings. The Muskies put two on with two out in the top of the 10th but did not score, and the Regents followed by reaching a pair of runners on fielding errors. An intentional walk loaded the bases with one out, and Garcia followed with a homer down the left field line off pitcher Gio Ramirez (Jr.-Chicago, Ill.), capping a seven-RBI game and clinching the sweep.

Lakeland also fought back from a five-run deficit in the first game by scoring six times in innings 7-though-9.

Trailing 9-4 entering the seventh, the Muskies scored four times. LaMack delivered another two-run double and Dylan Penny also drove in a run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Lakeland then took the lead in the top of the ninth, scoring twice as Nathan Hemmerling (So.-Riverside, Calif.) scored after Penny reached on an error and then taking the lead after Frisk stole home on a triple-steal.

The Regents were not done, though, and scored with two outs in the ninth on an RBI single by Jared Herzog to tie the game. Rockford then loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, and Jordin Lee walked with the bases loaded to send home the game-winning run.

Hemmerling hit a home run and went 3-for-5 in the first game with two runs batted in and four runs scored. Frisk and Collin Schutz (Jr.-Saint Amant, La.) also scored a pair of runs. LaMack, Penny and Schutz all led the hitting attack with two hits each in the second game, including LaMack doubling twice to finish with three doubles on the day.

Tyler Penny (Fr.-River Falls, Wis.) took the loss in the first game despite a hardy relief performance, pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing six hits and two runs. Ramirez was tagged with the loss in the second game after throwing four innings and allowing four hits and five runs (three earned) with three strikeouts.

Lakeland has made some changes to its schedule for the weekend. The Muskies' games against Aurora on Saturday was postponed one day and will now be played Sunday, with the doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Lakeland's previously scheduled non-conference twinbill against Northland College on Sunday has been postponed.