PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Milwaukee School of Engineering's Grace Salaja hit a two-out triple in the top of the seventh inning to drive in the lone run and the Lakeland University softball team dropped a 1-0 decision in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon.

MSOE would build off of the first-game escape and cruised to a 12-2 victory in five innings in the second game. The losses dropped the Muskies to 13-19 overall and 6-14 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with four games remaining in their season.

The first game was a pitching duel between Skylar Hall (Jr.-Negaunee, Mich.) and MSOE's Kennedy Lehn, who entered the game with a 0.98 earned run average, second-best in the NACC and in the top 15 nationally in NCAA Division III. Hall matched Lehn zero-for-zero on the scoreboard, and after the second inning allowed just one hit until Caroline Fouras led off the top of the seventh with a short pop-up halfway between home and the pitcher's circle that stopped in the dirt and allowed her to reach.

Hall still retired the next two batters on infield pop-ups, but leadoff hitter Salaja followed with a line drive down the left field line that got to the corner. Hannah Volom (So.-Portage, Ind.) fielded and threw to third baseman Peyton Harlow (Fr.-La Porte, Ind.), whose relay throw to the plate was perfect but Fouras slid in just ahead of it to score the game's first run.

Volom would reach with one out in the bottom of the seventh after being hit by a pitch, but would get no further as Lehn closed out a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts. Hall was the hard-luck losing pitcher after allowing eight hits while striking out seven.

The Raiders (25-9 overall, 17-3 NACC) dominated the second game, scoring twice in the first, third and fourth innings before erupting for six more runs in the fifth.

MSOE began with Salaja leading off with a single, stealing second and going to third on an error on the play. She would score on a one-out groundout by Morgan Long, and Lauren Stefanczyk followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0.

The Raiders generated two more runs in the third and then Jocelyn Clodi led off the fourth with a home run to center. Salaja would later reach on an error and score again, and the guests then sent 11 hitters to the plate in the sixth, scoring all six runs after two were out.

The Muskies finally got on the board for the day in the bottom of the fifth, with Abbie Schmidt (Fr.-Ellison Bay, Wis.) leading off with a walk, Jordan August (So.-Schererville, Ind.) hitting a single and Madi Johnson (Jr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) reaching on a walk. Carlie Morrow (Fr.-Menasha, Wis.) then reached on an error with pinch runner Harlow and then August also scoring on the play, and Lakeland loaded the bases again with nobody out before a pop-up and a double play ended the game.

August went 2-for-3 in the second game for two of the Muskies' five hits and had a three-hit day in all including the first game. Johnson started the second game and took the loss, allowing six hits and five runs in three-plus innings.

The Muskies play at home for the final time this season on Saturday when they host Wisconsin Lutheran College at noon. Senior Day will see two seniors on the team honored: Gabby Greetan (Manitowoc, Wis.) and Juliana Hall (Portage, Ind.).