FOND DU LAC, Wis. –
Jack Banks (
Sr.-Mountain View, Calif.) drove in three runs on a pair of hits in a nine-run sixth inning and the Lakeland University baseball team won the nightcap against Marian University on Sunday to finish with a doubleheader split for the second day in a row.
The Muskies and Sabres were involved in a pair of shootouts, with Marian rallying from way down for an 11-10 win in the first game before Lakeland came back for a 13-12 win in the second game at Herr-Baker Field. The net result left the Muskies still solidly over the .500 mark overall at 16-13 but also 6-9 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Lakeland won the second game by rallying from a four-run deficit after five innings by scoring nine times in the sixth.
Collin Schutz (
Sr.-Saint Amant, La.) led off with a double and Banks singled to drive in the first run of the inning.
Hunter Frisk (
Jr.-Manteca, Calif.),
Brian Biggs (
Jr.-Romeoville, Ill.),
Nathan Hemmerling (
Jr.-Riverside, Calif.) and
Tyler LaMack (
So.-Pewaukee, Wis.) all singled to drive in runs,
Austin Palmer (
Fr.-Oro Valley, Ariz.) walked to send in a run and Banks provided the biggest hit with a bases-loaded single to drive in two with a third run scoring on an error on the play.
The Muskies took a 13-8 lead needed all of those runs as Marian (11-16 overall, 6-10 NACC) scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to draw within two and then scored a run on a wild pitch in the ninth. The Sabres had the tying run on third base with two outs when
Sam Wright (
Sr.-Geneva, Ill.) induced Robbie Knorr into a fly out to right field to end the game.
Schutz ate up 6 1/3 innings to get the win even allowing 15 hits and 11 runs (ten earned) with six strikeouts. Wright pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief and allowed just one hit and one run for his first save as a Muskie.
Lakeland appeared to be well on its way to a win in the first game as well after putting up three runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings to take a big lead. LaMack delivered a pair of two-run doubles and Frisk also drove in three runs with an RBI single in the fifth and a two-run single in the eighth to put the Muskies ahead 9-2.
The Sabres rallied, first scoring six times in the eighth. Knorr and James Bornick both hit two-run homers, the latter cutting Lakeland's lead to 9-8. The Muskies answered with a run in the top of the ninth on single by Banks to score Schutz, but Marian went right to work in the bottom of the ninth. Knorr singled in a run, Sean Meyer singled to tie the game, and Brady Zackrison singled with the bases loaded and still nobody out to drive in the winning run.
The Muskies lost despite a second straight overpowering start by Hemmerling, who followed up 15 strikeouts against Dominican University this past Tuesday by going seven innings and allowing five hits and two runs with 11 strikeouts. Banks finished with three hits as part of a five-hit day and Schutz, LaMack, Frisk and
Kaylab Owings (
So.-Bagdad, Ariz.) added two hits each as both teams finished with 14 hits.
Herzog recovered from a shaky start to earn the win, going five innings and striking out ten. Bilotta drove in four runs in all and Joseph Stagowski added three hits.
