CLERMONT, Fla. –
Juliana Hall (
Jr.-Portage, Ind.) singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and the Lakeland University softball team held on to defeat Marywood (Pa.) University 3-2 to cap another winning day at the Clermont Spring Games Tuesday.
The Muskies won twice on the third day of their spring break trip, also defeating Cornell (Iowa) College 11-4 in their first game to continue a good start to their season. Lakeland improved to 4-1 through five games on its season-opening trip to Florida with at least four games to play.
The Muskies broke a 2-2 tie with Marygrove (2-2) by quickly manufacturing a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Cheyenne Mathas (
Sr.-St. John, Ind.) singled to lead off the inning, and
Mitty Schwartz (
So.-Fox Lake, Wis.) came on to pinch run and stole second base. Schwartz then moved to third on a wild pitch, and Hall singled through the left side to score Schwartz with what proved to be the winning run.
Hall drove in two of Lakeland's three runs, also hitting a run-scoring groundout to score
Hannah Nelson (
So.-Loves Park, Ill.) in the third inning for a 2-0 lead, one inning after
Elizabeth Rohr (
Fr.-Kewaunee, Wis.) singled to drive in
Alexis Janssen (
So.-Chadwick, Ill.) with the game's first run.
The Pacers rallied to tie the game with two in the fourth, but the teams remained tied until the Muskies' rally in the sixth.
Skylar Hall (
So.-Negaunee, Mich.) then shut the door on Marygrove in the seventh, allowing only a two-out single before retiring Nina Kozar to finish her second complete game win of the trip.
Skylar Hall followed up her one-hit shutout on Sunday in the season opener by allowing seven hits and two runs with three strikeouts. Mathas and
Madi Johnson (
So.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) both finished with two hits each as Lakeland finished with a slim 8-7 advantage in hits.
The Muskies started their day with a big first inning against Cornell, scoring five times in the top of the first inning. Consecutive hit batters to start the game triggered Lakeland sending nine batters to the plate, with
Hannah Hornsby (
Sr.-Brookville, Ind.) doubling to score two and
Juliana Hall,
Jordyn August (
Fr.-Schererville, Ind.) and
Taylar Miller (
Sr.-Random Lake, Wis.) all also driving in runs.
Lakeland added three more runs in the top of the third to build an 8-0 lead, including a two-run single by Nelson. The Rams countered with four runs in the bottom of the inning but would not score again while the Muskies added insurance runs with one in the fifth and two in the seventh inning.
Mathas, Hall, Hornsby, August and Miller all had two hits each, while Johnson drove in three runs. Nelson earned the win throwing 5 2/3 innings and allowing six hits and four runs with three strikeouts, and
Elizabeth Groonwald (
Sr.-Hartford, Wis.) came on to throw a hitless final 1 1/3 innings.
