BARTOW, Fla. – The Lakeland University softball team scored seven runs over the first two innings and cruised to an 8-4 win over Beloit College in its first game of the day on its third day of play at The Spring Games in Florida.

The Muskies finished with a split of the day after a 5-1 loss to Kean (N.J.) University in their second game of the afternoon. Lakeland is now 3-3 through six varsity games on its spring break trip, with four games left to play in Florida.

The Muskies defeated their fellow Wisconsin school in the opener with a fast start. Eight of their first 11 batters recorded hits against Beloit starter Avary Briggs, who exited after an inning-plus and gave up seven runs.

Maddie Raske (So.-Tinley Park, Ill.) singled to drive in Carlie Morrow (Jr.-Menasha, Wis.) with one out in the top of the first, and Abby Heitman (Jr.-St. Francis, Wis.), Lexi Howard (Fr.-Crown Point, Ind.) and McKenzie Staudinger (So.-Manitowoc, Wis.) also drove in runs, including Heitman with a triple and Howards with a double. Sydney Meyer (Jr.-Crown Point, Ind.) then added a two-run double in the second and Jordan August (Sr.-Schererville, Ind.) later hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-0 in the second.

The Buccaneers (0-9 overall) scored a run in the third but otherwise were shut down by Lakeland starter Jacie Jones (Jr.-Prairie du Sac, Wis.), who allowed just three hits through the first six innings. August added a run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth and Lakeland took an 8-1 lead into the final inning

Beloit would put together a brief rally in the seventh and scored three times. Maddie Klauer (So.-Fort Atkinson, Wis.) came on with one out in the inning and after allowing two hits recorded the final two outs of the game.

Jones finished pitching 6 1/3 innings allowing five hits and four runs (two earned) with four strikeouts for her first win as a Muskie. Heitman, Morrow and Staudinger all had two hits each to pace an 11-hit attack for Lakleand.

The Muskies' second game against Kean was one of missed opportunities. Lakeland recorded nine hits against Cougars pitcher Nikki Lusnia but could only score one run, stranding nine base runners and also running into several outs on the base paths as well.

Kean (7-9 overall) did not miss on its chances, scoring twice in the third inning and three more times in the fifth. The Cougars took advantage of a leadoff triple in the second to get one run and scored a second on a two-out hit. Kean again in the fifth inning capitalized on a leadoff hit with back-to-back run-scoring hits up the middle that resulted in a runner at second after advancing on the throw home, and the Cougars added another two-out hit to make it 5-1.

The Muskies scored their lone run in the fifth, after Staudinger reached on an error with one out and came around to score on a single by Raske. Lakeland left the bases loaded in the inning, though, with a strikeout looking ending the inning, one of seven strikeouts for Lusnia.

Meyer went 3-for-4 at the plate and Howard and Raske added two hits each. Natalie Ziebell (Fr.-New Holstein, Wis.) started in the circle and allowed eight hits and five runs with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings before Melanie Watters (Sr.-Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) finished the final 1 2/3 innings.

The Muskies are back on the field for two more games tomorrow in the afternoon. Lakeland takes on Ithaca (N.Y.) College at 1 p.m. Central, 2 p.m. in Florida, and then will face Ohio Wesleyan University immediately following, with both games at the Diamond Plex in Winter Haven.