MONTGOMERY, Ill. - Sydney Meyer and Juliana Hall had two hits each and Skylar Hall scattered six hits in a complete game win as the Lakeland University softball team opened its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament with a 4-1 victory over Marian University Friday night at Bedrosian Stadium.

The second-seeded Muskies improved to 33-8 on the season and advanced to face top seed Dominican University on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in a game to determine the team in the driver's seat in the double-elimination tourney. Dominican in its tourney opener edged host school and No. 4 seed Aurora University 1-0 on Friday.

The Muskies scored single runs in four different innings, including runs in each of the first two frames in never trailing against the stubborn Sabres (24-19), the tournament's No. 6 seed who upset No. 3 Concordia Wisconsin 7-4 earlier in the day to knock the Falcons out in the tourney's single-elimination stage. Lakeland also was excellent in the field, not committing an error and getting a number of outstanding defensive plays throughout the game.

The Muskies manufactured a run in the first when Madi Johnson walked with one out, moved to second on a single by Juliana Hall, and then stole third. The throw by catcher Ariana Schliepp went wide of third and Johnson came in to score for a 1-0 lead.

The Muskies added on in the second when Peyton Harlow led off with a single, went to second on a sacrifice by Jordan August, and then scored when Meyer ripped a double into the gap in left center to make it 2-0. Lakeland had an opportunity to add on more but stranded runners at second and third, a theme throughout that fortunately did not come back to haunt in the end as the Muskies stranded nine in the game, including eight of those runners at second or third base.

Marian scored its lone run in the top of the fourth when Savanna Knuth singled up the middle with two outs to drive in a run. The inning could've been much worse for the Muskies but Harlow saved at least a double by tracking down a ball at the wall in the left field corner earlier in the inning. Lakeland then got the run right back in the bottom of the fourth when Meyer led off with a single and reached third on the play after the ball got by right fielder Erin Cowe, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Johnson.

Lakeland added a final run in the sixth, as Hannah Nelson singled with one out and Johnson followed with a double. Juliana Hall then hit a sacrifice fly, and Skylar Hall set down the Sabres 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to close it out, not giving Marian a chance to rally again after the Sabres twice nearly came back after trailing 4-0 going into the seventh inning of both regular season games.

Hall scattered six hits and struck out three in earning her 15th win of the season. The senior needed just 67 pitches to close out Marian, receiving help including a 5-3 double play started by Juliana Hall to end a Sabres threat in the first inning, plus a diving catch of a line drive on the infield dirt by shortstop Carlie Morrow in the fifth.

Meyer and Juliana Hall both went 2-for-3 at the plate, and Lakeland finished with 10 hits with eight different players picking up at least one hit. All nine Muskies in the batting lineup reached base at least once.

The Muskies won in the NACC Tournament for the first time since 2012 and now face the regular season champion Dominican, which finished one game ahead of Lakeland in the final standings. The teams split their regular season doubleheader on April 21, with the Muskies winning the first game 3-0 before the Stars came back to win the second game by the same score.