ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Lakeland University softball team again took a big swing at one of the top contenders in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and connected, sweeping Dominican University in impressive fashion Monday evening at The Ballpark at Rosemont.
The Muskies combined more superb pitching with opportunistic offense to defeat the Stars by scores of 7-4 and 10-0, the second game ending in five innings. Lakeland extended its winning streak to six games and improved to 13-6 overall and 8-2 in conference play, pulling into a tie with Concordia University Wisconsin for the top spot in the NACC standings.
Finally getting some regular action on the field after a month filled with postponements, wet and cold weather and inactivity, the Muskies swept their third twinbill in four days, including their second on the road in Illinois against one of the conference's better teams. Lakeland also defeated Benedictine University twice on Friday, and this time dealt Dominican (23-6 overall, 10-5 NACC) its fifth and sixth losses of the season.
The Muskies never trailed in either game, taking early leads in both and putting the game away in the middle innings. Lakeland led 1-0 entering the fourth inning of the opener before scoring six times over the next three frames for a 7-0 lead, and the Muskies also scored seven times over the fourth and fifth innings in the second game.
Lakeland pitchers
Skylar Hall (
So.-Negaunee, Mich.) and
Makenna Hullinger (
Fr.-St. John, Ind.) combined to allow just two earned runs over 12 innings. Hall pitched a seven-inning complete game in the opener, scattering nine hits and allowing four runs (two earned), with all four runs coming in the sixth after the Muskies had built a 7-0 lead. Hullinger followed with a five-inning complete game shutout in the night cap, allowing four hits with three strikeouts.
Hitting contributions came throughout the lineup in both games.
Hannah Nelson (
So.-Loves Park, Ill.) went 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk and two runs scored in the first game and
Hannah Hornsby (
Sr.-Brookville, Ind.) added two hits including an RBI double.
Madi Johnson (
So.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) also added a two-run double.
Hannah Volom (
Fr.-Portage, Ind.) went 2-for-2 with an RBI and reached base all three times in the second game.
Cheyenne Mathas (
Sr.-St. John, Ind.) also reached base three times and scored three runs, and eight of the nine players in the lineup posted at least one hit each. Lakeland also took advantage of five walks and a hit batter issued by Dominican pitchers, with five of those six runners coming around to score.
Lakeland will aim to extend its winning streak Wednesday when it hosts Edgewood College for a doubleheader starting at 2:30 p.m.
