PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Lakeland University softball team wore out Wisconsin Lutheran College pitching with a bundle of big inning throughout the day in sweeping the teams' Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader on Good Friday in the Muskies' home opener.

The Muskies won the first game by a 9-1 count and then handled the Warriors 14-6 in the second game. Both games ended in six innings after Lakeland reached enough of a margin to win via the eight-run rule.

Lakeland followed up a split with Aurora University in its NACC-opening doubleheader Thursday by putting up 23 runs over two games against Wisconsin Lutheran to improve to 12-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Muskies did much of their damage in bunches, with a big second inning to key the win in the first game and then following up with innings scoring four, six and four runs in the nightcap.

Lakeland overcame an early 1-0 deficit in the opener by scoring six times in the bottom of the second. The Muskies took advantage of two costly Wisconsin Lutheran errors in the inning, and Maddie Raske (Fr.-Tinley Park, Ill.) delivered the biggest hit with a two-run single up the middle for a 5-1 lead. Abby Heitman (So.-St. Francis, Wis.) also added an RBI double, Madi Johnson (Sr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) sent in a run with a sacrifice fly and Sydney Meyer (So.-Crown Point, Ind.) and Hannah Nelson (Sr.-Loves Park, Ill.) also drove in runs.

The Muskies also scored twice in the fourth, with Heitman hitting her second run-scoring double of the game and Juliana Hall (Sr.-Portage, Ind.) adding an RBI single immediately following to score Heitman. Lakeland then closed it out in the sixth inning, as the first three runners reached to load the bases and Melanie Watters (Jr.-Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) reached on a fielder's choice while Nelson scored the run to invoke the eight-run mercy rule.

Nelson, Johnson and Heitman had two hits each as the Muskies' top four hitters also including Raske accounted for seven of Lakeland's nine hits. Skylar Hall (Sr.-Negaunee, Mich.) was in charge pitching, holding WLC to five hits while striking out five and walking three in the complete-game win to improve to 5-2 this year.

The second game saw the Muskies score four times in the bottom of the second inning to take a quick 4-0 lead, and then pull away with 10 runs over the final two innings.

Lakeland got on the board two batters into the second when Peyton Harlow (So.-La Porte, Ind.) doubled to lead off and Mackenzie Ondrejcak (Fr.-Aurora, Ill.) followed with a single through the left side to score Harlow. Three more runs would come in to score, including a two-run single up the middle by Nelson and an RBI double by Raske to make it 4-0.

Wisconsin Lutheran (5-11 overall, 2-2 NACC) hung around and made things uncomfortable for the Muskies, scoring twice in the third and then a run in the top of the fifth to get within 4-3. Lakeland answered, though, with six runs in the bottom of the fifth, sending 10 batters to the plate. Juliana Hall hit a two-run double, Ondrejcak and Meyer singled in runs, and pinch hitter Maddie Bentley (Sr.-West Bend, Wis.) added a two-run single for her first hit of the season to make it 10-3.

WLC drew back closer with three runs in the top of the sixth and left the bases loaded, with Skylar Hall coming on in relief and getting the final two outs of the inning. The Muskies then would close the game out with a big sixth inning with six of seven batters getting hits. Meyer and Carlie Morrow (So.-Menasha, Wis.) both singled to drive in runs, and with the bases loaded Nelson hit a double to the wall in left center to score Meyer and Skylar Hall, who reached earlier in the inning on a bunt single. Morrow also followed right behind Meyer to cross the plate, but the run by rule did not count with the game officially ending as soon as Meyer crossed the plate to invoke the eight-run rule.

Lakeland finished with a season-high 21 hits in the second game, the program's most hits in a game in nearly nine years, since also posting 21 hits in an 18-0 win over Edgewood College April 24, 2015. Those hit totals are tied for the most by the Muskies since notching 25 hits against Dominican University back on April 26, 2006 in an 18-10 win over the Stars.

Nelson, Raske, Heitman and Juliana Hall all had three hits each in the nightcap, and Nelson drove in four runs. Johnson started and went four innings to get the win, allowing six hits and three runs. Nelson and Skylar Hall covered the final two innings, and Hall finished with the save after coming on with the tying run on deck in the sixth.

The Muskies are back in action Saturday when they host Benedictine University.