WAUWATOSA, Wis. – Wisconsin Lutheran College's Lucas Oswald hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Lakeland University baseball team took another tough loss falling 4-3 Wednesday afternoon in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.

The Muskies dropped a one-run game as part of a NACC doubleheader for the third time in five days. Lakeland also fell to the Warriors 10-2 in the first game of the teams' twinbill, and with the two losses dropped to 6-18 overall and 1-11 in conference.

The Muskies had just an inning earlier taken the lead with three runs, including a two-out, two-run single by Kellen Hodges (Sr.-Littleton, Colo.) in the top of the eighth to give Lakeland a 3-2 lead. Aiden Swann (Fr.-Aurora, Ill.) also drove in a run earlier in the inning on a fielder's choice to get the Muskies on the board.

Eli Watkins (Fr.-Herrin, Ill.) held Wisconsin Lutheran to two runs over the first innings, but the Warriors opened the bottom of the ninth with a single from Henry Strupp. Aiden Montgomery then hit a double with one out to score Strupp to tie the game, and Armaan Sharma (So.-Pinole, Calif.) came on to relieve Watkins. A wild pitch allowed Montgomery to move to third, though, and the Muskies then elected to intentionally walk the next two hitters to load the bases. Oswald came up with a long fly to center field, though, and Montgomery tagged and scored the winning run.

Watkins had his best pitching performance as a Muskie so far, pitching 8 1/3 innings in all and allowing 11 hits and four runs (two earned) with six strikeouts and one walk. OakLee Spens (Sr.-South Weber, Utah) had three hits and Zak Keegan (Jr.-Frankfort, Ill.) added two hits and a run scored.

Lakeland held a brief lead early in the first game when Hodges led off the game by reaching on an error, stole second, moved to third on a fly out and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Keegan. The Warriors (6-19 overall, 2-10 NACC) would answer with two in the bottom of the first, though, and then added three in the third and pulled away in the middle innings of the seven-inning opener.

The Muskies briefly closed to within 5-2 when Dylan Costello (So.-New Berlin, Wis.) led off the fourth with a double and later scored on a sac fly by Swann. WLC would answer with a run in the fourth and then broke the game open with four more in the fifth.

Lakeland was held to two hits in the first game, with Costello and Landon Mani (Fr.-Germantown, Wis.) recording the lone hits against Warriors pitcher Matt Brissette, who pitched a complete game and struck out three while walking four. Kaden Kowalewsky (Fr.-Madison, Wis.) took the loss for the Muskies, allowing eight hits and nine runs (six earned) with a strikeout over 4 1/3 innings. Francesco Scalia (Sr.-Visalia, Calif.) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings and allowed two hits and one run with a strikeout.

Lakeland is back home Saturday when it hosts Illinois Institute of Technology for a doubleheader starting at noon.