Box Score Game 1 UWSP 7 LU 2
Box Score Game 2 UWSP 3 LU 1

The Lakeland University softball team found hits hard to come by on a bitter cold day and dropped both ends of a non-conference doubleheader with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Sunday afternoon.

The Pointers prevailed by scores of 7-2 and 3-1 in a pair of games shortened to five innings due to the weather conditions. Weather was a factor all day as the games started one hour later than originally scheduled due to rain and snow flurries overnight into Sunday morning, but the teams got the games in and UW-Stevens Point improved to 13-6 on the season while the Muskies remained winless in 10 games.

Lakeland registered just eight hits over the two games and including bases on balls had 12 baserunners total. The Muskies played from behind for all but one inning but stayed within striking distance most of the way, especially in the second game.

Lakeland trailed just 1-0 entering the final inning, with pitcher Leah Binsfeld (Sr.-Kaukauna, Wis.) allowing only an unearned run in the second inning and giving up just two hits total through four innings. UWSP scored twice in the top of the fifth, though, with Rachael Wakefield scoring on an errant pickoff through to third base and Lauren Luedtke following with a run-scoring single for a 3-0 lead.

The Muskies came back with a run in the bottom of the ninth thanks to Emyli Kreiser (Jr.-Greenfield, Wis.), who carried the offense in the night cap with all three of Lakeland's hits, including a two-out RBI double to score Nyah Odekirk (Fr.-Fond du Lac, Wis.) to make it 3-1. The tying run came to the plate but Cheyenne Mathas (Jr.-St. John, Ind.) popped up to Makenna Tkach, who finished the day pitching eight of 10 innings for the Pointers and picked up both wins.

Lakeland fell behind early in the opener but tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the first when Juliana Hall (So.-Portage, Ind.) hit a pop-up to shortstop that was called an infield fly but that dropped, allowing Hannah Nelson (Fr.-Loves Park, Ill.) to score from third.

The Pointers bounced back to take the lead with two in the second and added two more in the third for a 5-1 lead. The Muskies got a run back when Mathas doubled, stole third and scored when Hannah Hornsby (Jr.-Brookville, Ind.) reached on an error before being caught in a rundown.

The score remained 5-2 into the seventh inning, when UWSP scored a pair of runs. Mackenzie Niespodzany doubled and scored on another double by Madi Greenaberg, two of eight doubles in the game by the Pointers. Allie Meyers followed with an RBI single to score Gina Magro with the final run of the game.

Nelson pitched four inning in the first game, allowing nine hits and five runs. Tkach earned the win, allowing five hits with two strikeouts in five innings.

Luedtke led UW-Stevens Point with four hits over the two games, including three hits in the first game when the Pointers finished with 13 hits total.

The Muskies return to play Tuesday when they host Concordia University Chicago for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.