PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Freshman Carlie Morrow (Menasha, Wis.) hit a pair of home runs on the day, including a tying two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning in the second game, and Madi Johnson (Jr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) lined the game-winning single an inning later to give the Lakeland University softball team a memorable doubleheader sweep of Benedictine University Monday in the Muskies' home opener.

Lakeland defeated Benedictine 8-2 in the first game and then prevailed 7-6 in eight innings in the second game of the doubleheader that concluded after sundown. The Muskies won their first two Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference games of the season and improved to 9-5 overall.

Lakeland also swept Benedictine (10-6 overall, 2-2 NACC) in the regular season for the second straight year. The Eagles also ended the Muskies' season a year ago with a 1-0 win in the 2022 NACC Tournament, and early in the 2023 season the teams appear ticketed to elbow for position in the conference standings again.

Lakeland appeared in good shape to complete the sweep entering the sixth inning of the second game. The Muskies led 3-1 and Johnson had set down nine of the last 10 Eagle batters she faced while pitching. Benedictine would turn the game around, though, scoring four times, including a tying double by Morgan Bruno which was followed by Taylor Oppenhuis hitting a two-run homer for a 5-3 lead.

The Muskies went into the bottom of the seventh still down two runs and had two outs with nobody on when Haylee Dodd (Fr.-Kenosha, Wis.) hit a roller towards shortstop Lauryn Olson, who appeared to have a play at first but bobbled the ball, allowing Dodd to reach. Morrow then came up and on a 1-2 count blasted a towering drive to straightaway center field to tie the game and send it to extra innings.

Benedictine quickly responded, first getting a leadoff single by Colleen Schmit and then taking advantage of a pair of Lakeland throwing errors. The latter came after a throw back across the diamond following a ground out to shortstop, with Schmit attempting to advance to third and then able to score after the throw got away and became lodged at the bottom of the fence in foul territory, allowing her an extra base to score and make it 6-5.

The Muskies began a rally in the bottom of the eighth with one out when Hannah Nelson (Jr.-Loves Park, Ill.) walked, and Peyton Harlow (Fr.-La Porte, Ind.) followed with a single with Nelson getting to third on an error. Harlow then took second base, but Jordan August (So.-Schererville, Ind.) lined out to Bruno at second base for the second out of the inning. Bruno then threw to third to try to pick off Nelson, but the throw was wild and the junior raced home with the tying run. Johnson then followed, and after a battle with Eagles pitcher Jasmine Lozano she smacked a line drive into left center to score Harlow with the winning run as dusk was fast approaching and playing another inning would've been in doubt.

Lakeland also won the first game with a rally, coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the fourth inning to score eight runs over the next three innings. Morrow tied the game with a two-run homer in the fourth for her first collegiate home run, and the Muskies would take over with four runs in the fifth.

Lakeland strung together five straight singles in the fifth, including a go-ahead RBI single by Johnson to make it 3-2. Dodd and Morrow also both added run-scoring infield hits, and August added a two-run single in the sixth to close the scoring.

Skylar Hall (Jr.-Negaunee, Mich.) pitched a complete game in the opener to improve to 5-2 on the season. Hall scattered nine hits and allowed two runs (one earned) over seven innings with four strikeouts.

August and Johnson both had three-hit games in the first game and Johnson added three hits in the second game. Morrow also had a four-hit day, and Nelson earned the win in the nightcap in relief, allowing one hit and an unearned run in two innings.

The Muskies play again on Friday when they host Aurora University for a 1 p.m. Good Friday start at home on the campus softball field.