LISLE, Ill. – An extra innings win in the opening game was the start of a big day for the Lakeland University softball team, which shook off a spring of weather-related frustrations and made a long afternoon a good one with a big doubleheader sweep of Benedictine University Friday afternoon.
The Muskies scored three runs in the tenth inning and held on to outlast the Eagles 5-4 in ten innings in the first game of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference twinbill. In true 2022 spring fashion, rain delayed the start of the second game for about an hour, but once on the field Lakeland took over midway through the nightcap and rolled to a 10-4 victory.
Playing just their third date since a spring break trip to Florida in early March, the Muskies improved to 9-6 overall and are now 4-2 in the NACC. The schedule has been littered with postponements, games rescheduled and sometimes postponed again since the early trip south to start the season, and even has made it hard for the team to get on its own field to practice. Despite all that, Lakeland showed few ill signs in twice toppling a solid Benedictine team on the road.
The Muskies' winning rally in the opener came with three runs to break a 2-2 tie in the 10th inning.
Hannah Nelson (
So.-Loves Park, Ill.) singled to drive in a run, and Lakeland would add on to the lead with two more runs.
Madi Johnson (
So.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) hit a sacrifice fly and Nelson scored after
Juliana Hall (
Jr.-Portage, Ind.) reached on an error with two outs for a 5-2 lead.
The insurance runs would come in big in the bottom of the 10th when Benedictine (14-8 overall, 4-4 NACC) mounted a rally of its own with two outs. Alyssa Gill singled to drive in two runs to get the Eagles within 5-4, but Lakeland's
Skylar Hall (
So.-Negaunee, Mich.) induced cleanup hitter Ashley Fisher into a pop-up to end the game.
Skylar Hall finished a gutty pitching outing, going the distance to throw all ten innings and allowing seven hits and four runs with five strikeouts. It was the first of two quality pitching performances for the Muskies, who also heated up at the plate as the second game went on.
Lakeland trailed 2-1 heading to the fourth inning of game two before scoring four times to take the lead for good.
Makenna Hullinger (
Fr.-St. John, Ind.) singled,
Maddie Blankenship (
Sr.-West Bend, Wis.) scored on a wild pitch,
Elizabeth Rohr (
Fr.-Kewaunee, Wis.) sent in a run with a sacrifice fly and Nelson continued a big day with a run-scoring triple, her second triple of the game.
The Eagles came back with a run in the bottom of the fourth to get within 5-3 but the Muskies added on three more runs in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth.
Nyah Odekirk (
So.-Fond du Lac, Wis.) and Hullinger both singled in runs in the fifth, and
Juliana Hall added an RBI double in the sixth.
Hullinger pitched a complete game in the nightcap and allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) with four strikeouts. She also added two hits and drove in three runs to key a 12-hit offensive attack.
Juliana Hall also went 3-for-4, Nelson added two hits to finish with four hits on the day, and
Jordan August (
Fr.-Schererville, Ind.) also added two hits.
The Muskies are back on the field tomorrow when they host St. Norbert College for a doubleheader starting at noon. The team also is hosting its Strike Out Cancer event on Saturday, with a 50/50 raffle and proceeds going to the Breast Friend Cancer Foundation in Sheboygan.
