PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Skylar Hall (Sr.-Negaunee, Mich.) pitched a complete game shutout in the opener and the battle for the top spot in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference was a draw with the Lakeland University softball team and Dominican University splitting a pair of pitchers' duels Sunday afternoon.

The Muskies won the first game 3-0 before the Stars came back for a 3-0 win in an even more briskly played second game. Lakeland earned a win over a nationally ranked team with a victory over the 21st-ranked Stars, and the split left the teams separated by percentage points in the NACC standings. The Muskies are now 26-6 overall, 15-3 in conference and a win ahead of Dominican in the standings, but the Stars (29-3 overall, 14-2 NACC) have a lead by one loss with two less league games played to date.

Hall pitched her fourth shutout of the season, allowing six hits with three strikeouts and two walks as the Muskies defeated a nationally ranked team for the first time since topping at 15th-ranked Milwaukee School of Engineering team in 2022. The senior bounced back from a bumpy start the day before at Concordia University Chicago when she allowed two runs in an inning-plus, outpitching Dominican's Emma Woodhouse, who came in with a perfect 11-0 record on the season.

After the teams were scoreless for the game's first half, the Muskies reached for single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Lakeland got on the board in the fourth when Juliana Hall (Sr.-Portage, Ind.) led off with a double, moved to third on an error and beat the throw home when Maddie Raske (Fr.-Tinley Park, Ill.) hit into a fielder's choice.

The Muskies also scored in the fifth when Carlie Morrow (So.-Menasha, Wis.) led off with a single and scored on a booming two-out double to the center field wall by Juliana Hall. Lakeland led 2-0 at that point and then fought off its greatest threat from the Stars in the top of the sixth, when Dominican loaded the bases with one out. Skylar Hall was able to induce a pair of foul outs to end the inning, though, and the Muskies added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Peyton Harlow (So.-La Porte, Ind.) singled, stole second and scored on a single up the middle by Jordan August (Jr.-Schererville, Ind.). Hall then finished it off in the seventh, allowing a leadoff single before a strikeout, popup and flyout ended the game.

Juliana Hall went 2-for-3 with two doubles, giving her a team-high 13 doubles this season and 29 for her career, moving her into sole possession of third place on the program's all-time list for career doubles.

Dominican turned the tables in the second game essentially on the strength of one inning. The Stars scored three times in the second, including a pair of unearned runs off of two Lakeland errors, and it was enough as the Muskies were unable to solve Dominican pitcher Kayla Faber-Cournane. The Stars hurler pitched a complete game two-hitter, holding down Lakeland despite not registering a strikeout.

Dominican scored its three runs in the second, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Starting pitcher Madi Johnson (Sr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) initially held the Stars back, throwing home to get the out after an attempted squeeze play, but Faber-Cournane then singled through the right side to give the guests a 1-0 lead. Dominican then scored two more runs, one coming after a fielding error and another on an errant throw down to second on an attempted steal.

Lakeland's best scoring chances came in the second and sixth innings. Raske reached on a three-base error on a long fly to right in the second with one out but got no further. The Muskies also put runners at first and second with two outs in the sixth after Morrow singled and Juliana Hall reached on an error, but another infield groundout ended the threat.

Hannah Nelson (Sr.-Loves Park, Ill.) gave Lakeland a terrific pitching appearance in relief for the second straight day. A day after throwing six innings and allowing just one run in relief of Skylar Hall in the opener against Concordia Chicago, Nelson threw five shutout innings against Dominican, allowing just three hits with a strikeout.

The Muskies are back in action Friday when they host Mount Mary University for a non-conference doubleheader at 3 p.m.