CLERMONT, Fla. – The Lakeland University softball team got its spring break trip off to a good start with a pair of wins, defeating North Park (Ill.) University and Juniata (Pa.) College on its first day of varsity competition at the Clermont Spring Games Monday.

The Muskies blitzed North Park 13-4 in five innings in their first game of the day and then defeated Juniata 4-1 in the second game. Lakeland is now 2-2 overall on the season and 2-0 after the first two of 10 games over six days to be played in the central Florida area.

The Muskies burst out of the gates in the first game, scoring five runs in each of the first two innings against their foes from Chicago. Lakeland batted around in both innings and had a number of big blows, including Maddie Raske (Fr.-Tinley Park, Ill.) driving in three runs in the two innings, including a two-run triple in the first inning.

Abby Heitman (So.-St. Francis, Wis.) also hit a two-run triple of her own in the first to get the Muskies on the board, and Juliana Hall (Sr.-Portage, Ind.) added a two-run double in the second inning. Sydney Meyer (So.-Crown Point, Ind.) also drove in two runs, including a bunt single in the second to give Lakeland a 9-0 lead, and freshman Mackenzie Ondrejcak (Fr.-Aurora, Ill.) sent in another run with an infield groundout to give the Muskies a 10-run margin.

Lakeland added three more runs in the fourth inning, including a run-scoring double by Jordan August (Jr.-Schererville, Ind.), an RBI single by Carlie Morrow (So.-Menasha, Wis.) and another run scoring when Hannah Nelson (Sr.-Loves Park, Ill.) reached on an error. The Muskies led 13-1 at that point before North Park rallied with three runs in the fifth before the game ended after five innings on account of the eight-run rule.

Lakeland also won the second game after receiving a stellar pitching performance from Skylar Hall (Negaunee, Mich.). The senior retired the first 18 batters she faced, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning before it was broken up by a bunt single to lead off the seventh.

The Muskies received all of their offense in the third and fourth innings, striking for two runs in each frame. Madi Johnson (Sr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) earned the win pitching the first game, and she got Lakeland on the board against Juniata with a two-run single in the third to score Nelson and Peyton Harlow (So.-La Porte, Ind.).

The Muskies also scored twice in the fourth, as Raske led off with a single and came in to score on a single to left field by Morrow. Nelson would later follow with a single to right to score Morrow and give Lakeland a 4-0 lead

Juniata strung together three hits in the seventh inning on softly hit balls, and got on the board with a two-out bloop single to left field to break up the shutout. Hall finished allowing three hits with five strikeouts and zero walks in a complete game.

Lakeland is back on the field Tuesday with two more games, facing Monmouth (Ill.) College and Rutgers University-Camden (N.J.).