PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Lakeland University softball team reached 30 wins in a season for the second time in program history and tied a school record for wins in a season by defeating Marian University twice Tuesday afternoon on Senior Day.

The Muskies edged the Sabres 5-4 in eight innings in the first game and then held on for a 4-3 win in the second game. Lakeland improved to 30-6 overall this season and 17-3 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, and the 30 wins are the most since the Muskies finished 30-10 in 2009.

The Muskies played at home for the final time this season and played from ahead almost the entire day, but had a difficult time putting away the Sabres (14-18 overall, 8-12 NACC) in both games. Lakeland took a 4-0 lead into the seventh inning in both contests, and even faced the bottom three in the order in the seventh, but the Sabres rallied in both games, including four runs to tie the first game.

Skylar Hall (Sr.-Negaunee, Mich.) allowed just two hits and struck out eight while throwing six shutout innings, but Marian strung together three consecutive hits, including an RBI double by Sofia Cerullo to make it 4-1. Hannah Nelson (Sr.-Loves Park, Ill.) came on to pitch but the Sabres' rally continued, and Kendall Pliner's bases-loaded single drove in two runs to tie the game at 4-4.

Nelson got out of the seventh with a strikeout and a groundout, and the Muskies were unable to capitalize on a leadoff double by Carlie Morrow (So.-Menasha, Wis.) in the bottom of the frame, sending the game to extra innings. Nelson retired the Sabres 1-2-3 in the eighth, and Maddie Raske (Fr.-Tinley Park, Ill.) led off the eighth with a double to deep left center, hitting just a foot below the top of the fence. A sacrifice bunt by Peyton Harlow (So.-La Porte, Ind.) moved Raske to third, and the freshman broke for home after a pitch high and a little outside got away from Marian catcher Ariana Schlieep. Raske got in under a tag at the plate to score the winning run in Lakeland's first extra-innings game of the season.

Raske went 3-for-4 with a double in the opener and Nelson and Juliana Hall (Sr.-Portage, Ind.) added two hits each in the first game, and all three were part of a fast start in the second game. The Muskies batted around and scored four times on five hits and also taking advantage of three Sabres errors. Raske singled with the bases loaded to drive in two to get Lakeland on the board, and two more runs scored after Marian errors.

The Muskies would go silent at the plate the rest of the way, with just four hits scattered over their final five at bats, but Madi Johnson (Sr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) had the Sabres shut down through six innings, allowing just five hits.

Once again, though, Marian came alive in the seventh, with a pair of hits to lead off the inning, an RBI double by Erin Cowe and then an infield single by Schliepp scoring one run with a second run scoring on the play after a throwing error. Johnson was able to get Pliner to hit a soft liner to Morrow at short, though, finally putting away Marian.

Johnson pitched a complete game and improved to 12-2 this season, allowing nine hits and three runs (two earned) with four strikeouts. Raske went 2-for-3 in the second game and finished the day 5-for-7 with four RBIs and two runs scored, pushing her average to .467 for the season.

The games were the final at home for six senior members of the team: Juliana Hall, Skylar Hall, Johnson, Nelson, Maddie Bentley (West Bend, Wis.) and Nyah Odekirk (Fond du Lac, Wis.).

The Muskies close out the regular season with a pair of road doubleheaders at the end of the week, including facing Milwaukee School of Engineering Friday for two games starting at 3 p.m. in Milwaukee.