MILWAUKEE – Abby Heitman (Fr.-St. Francis, Wis.) went 6-for-6 at the plate over two games for the biggest day of her young collegiate career as the Lakeland University softball team split two games against Alverno College Wednesday afternoon.

The Muskies routed the Inferno 12-1 in five innings in the first game, but then let a big early lead slip away in the second game. Alverno won the nightcap 10-9, dropping Lakeland to 11-9 overall and 4-4 in the NACC.

Heitman went 2-for-2 in the first game, including a two-run single that capped the scoring in a seven-run fifth inning. She then went 4-for-4 in the second game with a pair of runs scored, and at the end of the day had raised her batting average 110 points from .216 to .326.

The Muskies got off to a slow start to the doubleheader, striking out four times over the first two innings before finding their stride and scoring all 12 of their runs in just three innings.

Lakeland started with two runs in the third as Sydney Meyer (Fr.-Crown Point, Ind.) led off with a single, Hannah Nelson (Jr.-Loves Park, Ill.) drove her in with a sacrifice, and Jordan August (So.-Schererville, Ind.) later doubled in a run to make it 2-0.

The Muskies then scored three in the fourth inning, including Carlie Morrow (Fr.-Menasha, Wis.) crushing a two-run home run for her third homer of the season, and blew the game wide open with seven runs in the fifth. Heitman led off the inning with a triple and later ended the scoring with her two-run single. Haylee Dodd (Fr.-Kenosha, Wis.) and Meyer both drove in single runs with hits, Peyton Harlow (Fr.-La Porte, Ind.) added a two-run single and August hit a sac fly to put Lakeland in position to close the game out in five innings with the eight-run rule.

Six different players registered two hits each as part of a 15-hit attack in the first game. Skylar Hall (Jr.-Negaunee, Mich.) cruised to the win, allowing three hits and just a solo home run by Lexi Hess to lead off the bottom of the fourth for Alverno's lone run.

Lakeland appeared in great position for another blowout with its start to the second game, as the Muskies took a 6-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Madi Johnson (Jr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) hit an RBI single, Meyer delivered a two-run double and Hannah Volom (So.-Portage, Ind.) added a two-run single.

The Inferno (4-16 overall, 1-7 NACC) answered with five runs in the bottom of the first, though, including a three-run homer by Andrea Ramirez. Johnson drove in two more in the top of the second to put Lakeland back up 8-5, but the Muskies would score just one run the rest of the way against Alverno relief pitcher Nevaeh Cruz, who came on in the second and allowed three runs over the final six innings.

The Inferno scored a run in the third to close within 8-6, then took the lead with four in the fourth, including a two-run double by Izzy Torres. Lakeland finally scored again in the seventh with Meyer's two-out single to score Morrow, but scored no more as Alverno clinched its first conference win of the season.

Johnson and Meyer both went 2-for-3 with three RBIs each in the second game. Meyer finished the day with four hits and four RBIs and is hitting .533 over the last five games with eight hits and eight runs batted in.