PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Lakeland University softball team staged a final at bat rally but came up short as Marian University completed a sweep of the teams' Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader Monday.

The Sabres won the first game 8-1 and then held on to take the second game 8-5 and win three games out of four in the Easter weekend series between the two schools. The teams split the first two games in Fond du Lac on Saturday before Marian won both return games at Lakeland.

The Muskies (2-15-1 overall, 1-3 NACC North Division) came alive late in the nightcap which ended just before sunset, with nine of their 11 hits over the final four innings. Lakeland chipped away at deficits of 5-0 and 8-2, including scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh and bringing the tying run to the plate.

The Muskies' only runs before the seventh inning came when Madi Johnson (Fr.-???, Ill.) hit a triple to the wall in right center to drive in both Ariana Brown (So.-Beloit, Wis.) and Nyah Odekirk (Fr.-Fond du Lac, Wis.).

Lakeland trailed 8-2 heading into its final at bat but put runs on the board after Hannah Hornsby (Jr.-Brookville, Ind.) hit an RBI double to score Cheyenne Mathas (Jr.-St. John, Ind.) and Brown sent a sacrifice fly to score Mitty Schwartz (Fr.-Beaver Dam, Wis.). Maddie Blankenship (Jr.-West Bend, Wis.) then singled to shortstop to score Hornsby and bring the tying run to the plate, but the game ended when Sydney Wickman (Sr.-Quinnesec, Mich.) was thrown out at first base after slapping a grounder to second that was fielded quickly.

The Muskies spent much of the day playing from behind against Marian (14-8 overall, 3-1 NACC North), and the Sabres hammered out 25 hits over the two games.

The guests scored a run in the top of the first inning of the day and were tied for the only time when Mathas hit a grounder to second to score Hannah Nelson (Fr.-Loves Park, Ill.) to make it 1-1. Marian scored three times in the second and then three more times in the fourth on the way to a convincing win in the opener.

Sabres pitcher Paige Rauhut held Lakeland to just four hits, her second complete game win over the Muskies in three days after also throwing a two-hit shutout on Saturday. The hosts also were hurt by four errors, with six of the Sabres' eight runs unearned against starting pitcher Leah Binsfeld (Sr.-Kaukauna, Wis.).

Mathas and Sabrina Wickman (Sr.-Quinnesec, Mich.) both finished with three hits on the day and Johnson went 2-for-4 in the second game with two RBIs and also came on in relief of Nelson and threw 2 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and one run.

Lakeland next will face Alverno College for a pair of doubleheaders this coming weekend, starting with the Muskies at home Saturday beginning at noon.