Freshman Mitty Schwartz (Fox Lake, Wis.) drove in four runs to lead a big comeback as the Lakeland University softball team earned its first win of the season defeating Concordia University Chicago 9-5 in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon.

The Muskies followed up their first win of the season and capped an eventful doubleheader with a tie in the second game, with the game ending knotted at 14-14 after seven innings. Lakeland is now 1-10-1 overall on the season.

The Muskies rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the first game, putting three runs on the board in three different innings. Schwartz had one of the big hits early in the comeback with a two-run triple in the third inning to close the deficit to 4-3. She took advantage of winds of 21 miles per hour gusting to over 30 mph blowing out to right field, launching a deep fly that carried all the way to hit halfway up the wall in right-center.

Lakeland took the lead with three more runs in the fifth, with Schwartz first reaching on an error while Madi Johnson (Fr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) scored and then coming in with the lead run on a double by Cheyenne Mathas (Jr.-St. John, Ind.). Schwartz would also added a two-run single in the sixth, coming just after Concordia had closed within 6-5 in the top of the inning.

Leah Binsfeld (Sr.-Kaukauna, Wis.) also picked up her first win of the season, pitching a complete game and allowing nine hits but just one earned run, limiting the damage from six Lakeland errors. Ariana Brown (So.-Beloit, Wis.), Ally Lira (Sr.-Elk Grove Village, Ill.) and Hannah Nelson (Fr.-Loves Park, Ill.) also all had two hits each in the first game.

Both teams had plenty of hits in a wild second game, which went a shade under three hours and saw Concordia Chicago (2-11-1 overall) put up eight runs in the third to take an eight-run lead, only to see the Muskies come back with nine runs in the fourth to take the lead back.

The Cougars sent 11 batters to the plate in the third and scored all eight of their runs with two outs. Gina Westphal hit a pair of triples in the inning, with the second driving in two and giving Concordia an 11-3 lead.

The Muskies trailed 12-4 heading into the bottom of the fourth when they opened the inning with three straight singles to load the bases. Lakeland then took advantage of four CUC errors in the inning to score nine times and take a 13-12 lead. Johnson and Emyli Kreiser (Jr.-Greenfield, Wis.) both singled in runs, and the remaining runs scored on errors or wild pitches.

Concordia came back to tie it with a run in the fifth, but Lakeland took the lead back at 14-13 on a pinch hit RBI single by Carson Terry (Fr.-Plainfield, Ill.) for her first collegiate hit. The Cougars tied it yet again with a run in the sixth, and both teams had opportunities to score again, with the Muskies loading the bases but unable to score in the bottom of the sixth and CUC stranding runners on the corners in the seventh. The game was called after seven innings and finished as a tie as sunset approached and umpires ruled conditions were too dark to continue.

Johnson finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored in the nightcap and also stabilized Lakeland's pitching in the final innings, throwing 2 1/3 and allowing three hits and one unearned run with four strikeouts. Gabby Greetan (So.-Manitowoc, Wis.) also went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Schwartz, Hannah Hornsby (Jr.-Brookville, Ind.) and Sydney Wickman (Sr.-Quinnesec, Mich.) added two hits each. Juliana Hall (So.-Portage, Ind.) also scored three runs after reaching base four times on walks.