PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Leah Binsfeld (Sr.-Kaukauna, Wis.) pitched a complete game in the opener and the Lakeland University softball team was competitive against a nationally ranked team even in falling twice to Concordia University Wisconsin Friday evening in the Muskies' final home games of the season.

The Muskies lost a narrow 2-1 decision in the first game before the Falcons completed the twinbill sweep with a 6-2 win in the second game. Concordia clinched the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference North Division title and the top seed in the upcoming divisional tournament, while Lakeland (11-20-1 overall, 8-10 NACC North) is locked in the fourth seed in the tourney with its two losses.

The Falcons (27-5 overall, 17-1 NACC North) came in ranked 20th in the most recent NFCA/NCAA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll on the strength of outstanding pitching, and pitcher Gina Followell was dominant in the first game. Followell allowed just two hits and struck out 13 in a complete game, and she retired the first 15 hitters she faced.

Binsfeld was nearly as good, though, allowing eight hits and just one earned run in her seven innings. She limited the damage of a trio of first-inning errors to just one run, and the only earned run came on an RBI double by Kelsey Bollon in the fifth to stake CUW to a 2-0 lead.

Lakeland finally reached Followell in the bottom of the sixth when Ariana Brown (So.-Beloit, Wis.) led off with a booming triple to left center. Ally Lira (Sr.-Elk Grove Village, Ill.) followed with a sacrifice fly to score Brown, and the Muskies put the tying run on base later in the inning when Hannah Nelson (Fr.-Loves Park, Ill.) singled with two outs. Sabrina Wickman (Sr.-Quinnesec, Mich.) followed with a soft liner to Followell, though, and Lakeland went quietly in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of strikeouts and a pop up to the pitcher to end it.

Concordia started strong in the second game, scoring a pair of runs and loading the bases before Madi Johnson (Fr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) got out of the inning with a pop up. The Falcons would add a run in the second and three more in the third to take a 6-0 lead before Johnson held CUW scoreless the rest of the way.

The Muskies had a number of quality chances in the second game against starting pitcher Nicki Becker but stranded three runners in both the third and fifth innings after loading the bases with one out in both. Lakeland did get on the board in the fourth, as Juliana Hall (So.-Portage, Ind.) doubled to lead off, pinch runner Jacy Klaske (Jr.-Fond du Lac, Wis.) stole third and Hannah Hornsby (Jr.-Crown Point, Ind.) singled to shortstop to score Klaske.

The Muskies also added a run in the seventh inning against reliever Alyssa Vilkoski, as Wickman singled with one out and Cheyenne Mathas (Jr.-St. John, Ind.) hit an opposite-way double down the right field line to score Wickman. Mathas was cut down trying to stretch the hit into a triple, though, and Hall was called out to end the game on a bang-bang play after a grounder to shortstop.

Johnson went the distance pitching and allowed four earned runs while striking out five. Wickman went 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored for the lone multi-hit game of the day for the Muskies. Sydney Erdmann went 4-for-4 to lead CUW at the plate while Becker earned the win allowing seven hits over six innings while striking out eight.

Lakeland wraps up its regular season with the final two games of the series with Concordia on Sunday starting at noon in Mequon.