DE PERE, Wis. – The Lakeland University softball team continued its recent trend of splitting doubleheaders, taking one of two games against St. Norbert College Friday afternoon at SNC's Miron Construction Field.
The Muskies won 4-3 in the first game of the teams' Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader before the Green Knights claimed the second game 4-0. Lakeland split its third straight conference twinbill and is now 12-10 overall and 5-5 in the NACC.
The Muskies won the first game on the strength of a three-run first inning, an insurance run late and more strong pitching from
Skylar Hall (
Negaunee, Mich.). The junior allowed just two hits and struck out six in her 11th complete game in 11 starts to improve to 7-4 on the season.
Lakeland got an early jump with three runs in the top of the first as the first four batters of the game reached.
Hannah Nelson (
Jr.-Loves Park, Ill.) led off with a walk,
Peyton Harlow (
Fr.-La Porte, Ind.) reached on an error and
Jordan August (
So.-Schererville, Ind.) and
Abby Heitman (
Fr.-St. Francis, Wis.) both singled to drive in runs.
Madi Johnson (
Jr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) also added a sacrifice fly.
The score stayed at 3-0 until the sixth, when the Muskies added on a run with the help of two St. Norbert errors. Johnson reached on an error to start the inning and
Carlie Morrow (
Fr.-Menasha, Wis.) followed with a single, one of her four hits on the day.
Melanie Watters (
So.-Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) then reached on a fielder's choice, with Morrow retired at second but Johnson going to third and then scoring on an error on the play.
The extra run proved huge in the bottom of the sixth when the Green Knights reached Hall for three runs, in part due to a pair of Muskies errors in the inning. No. 9 hitter Nicole Condon reached on an error, Allison Ardito singled and Elizabeth Stuebs reached on a fielder's choice with Condon scoring on an error. Addison Race then hit a triple to score a pair and make it 4-3 with still nobody out in the inning, but Hall and Lakeland got out of the inning with no further damage. The biggest play came when Race was tagged out at home trying to score after a grounder to Harlow at third.
St. Norbert (10-13-1 overall, 4-5-1 NACC) mustered just two hits in the first game and four in the second, but all four hits led directly to runs in the second game. The Green Knights broke a scoreless tie in the fourth when Stuebs led off with a double and came in to score on an error, and SNC added three in a fifth inning that looked quite a bit like the sixth inning of the opener. Condon led off with a single, Stuebs later singled to drive in a run and Race hit her second two-run triple of the day to make it 4-0.
Lakeland posted eight hits in the second game but was held scoreless with multiple scoring chances extinguished. St. Norbert posted two double plays, including one with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh to end the game, and the Muskies also had runners thrown out stealing and another cut down at home on a fielder's choice in the third.
Nelson joined Morrow with two hits each in the second game. Johnson took the loss with a complete game pitching, allowing four hits and four runs (three earned) with two strikeouts.
Lakeland is back in action at home Sunday when it hosts Dominican University for a doubleheader starting at noon.
