FOND DU LAC, Wis. – A nine-run inning sank the Lakeland University softball team's playoff hopes as the Muskies concluded their season with an 11-3 loss to rival Marian University in an elimination game at the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference North Division Tournament.

The third-seeded Sabres scored nine times in the second inning and the fourth-seeded Muskies were held scoreless the rest of the way in the game that ended after five innings due to the eight-run rule. Lakeland finished the 2021 season with a 12-23-1 overall record.

The Muskies actually struck first in the game and built a three-run lead in the top of the second inning. Ally Lira (Sr.-Elk Grove Village, Ill.) started the scoring with an RBI-single to left, and Sydney Wickman (Sr.-Quinnesec, Mich.) brought in two more with single through the right side to push the Muskie lead to 3-0 after 1 1/2 innings.

The bottom half of the inning saw an explosion by the host Sabres, who sent 13 hitters to the plate en route to a nine-run inning. Marian took the lead on a two-RBI single from Katy Croeker, who was one of four Sabres to notch a two-run single in the inning.

Lakeland struggled to hit the rest of the game as only one Muskie reached scoring position in the final three innings. Marian tacked on one run in both the third and fifth innings to push their lead to eight and end the game in five innings.

In addition to the run-scoring hits by Lira and Wickman, Juliana Hall (So.-Portage, Ind.) went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and Leah Binsfeld (Sr.-Kaukauna, Wis.) and Madi Johnson (Fr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) each added a single.

Binsfeld took the loss for Lakeland, allowing five earned runs in an inning-plus while striking out two. Johnson threw the final three innings, allowing three earned runs, nine hits, and a walk with two strikeouts of her own.

Marian advanced to an elimination game later on Friday night against No. 2 seed Concordia University Wisconsin. A home run from Melanie Weigel in the seventh inning wasn't enough for the Sabres who couldn't complete the rally, falling to the Falcons 3-1.

Concordia Wisconsin and Milwaukee School of Engineering will compete tomorrow for the tourney championship, with MSOE in the driver's seat at 2-0 in the tourney while CUW will need to defeat the Raiders twice to win the crown.

NACC North Tournament results, schedule and info