MONTGOMERY, Ill. – Lakeland University put pressure on Aurora University late in the second game but a rally came up short as the Spartans finished a sweep in both teams' first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader of the season.
Aurora won the first game 18-3 in seven innings and then held on for a 4-2 win in the second game. The Muskies dropped to 6-9 overall while the Spartans improved to 6-8 on the season.
Lakeland was done in by a 10-run second inning in the first game, as Aurora strung together seven singles and added a pair of run-scoring doubles late in the inning to blow the game open. The Muskies scored their lone runs in the fifth with
Zak Keegan (
Sr.-Frankfort, Ill.) hitting a two-run single and
Tucker Gegenfurtner (
So.-Onalaska, Wis.) adding an RBI ground out.
The Muskies fared much better in the second game and nearly rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the late innings. Lakeland first got on the board in the seventh when
Logan South (
Fr.-Oswego, Ill.) reached on a two-out infield single that scored
Caleb Sumsion (
Jr.-Dayton, Nev.) to make it 4-1.
The Muskies stranded a pair in the seventh, but scored again in the eighth when Keegan led off with an infield single and Gegenfurtner followed with a double to drive him in. Lakeland again put two runners on, this time with nobody out, but again missed a chance to get closer by stranding two, and Aurora pitcher Conner Hogan set down the Muskies 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to earn the save.
Mason Holz (
Fr.-Waupun, Wis.) and
Eli Watkins (
So.-Herrin, Ill.) combined to throw eight solid innings in the second game, including Holz going 5 1/3 and allowing eight hits and four runs (three earned) with four strikeouts. Watkins came on and threw 2 2/3 scoreless frames, allowing just two hits.
Gegenfurtner went 3-for-4 in the nightcap and Keegan and
Charlie Spahn (
Jr.-Greenfield, Wis.) added two hits each. Gegenfurtner, Keegan and
OakLee Spens (
Sr.-South Weber, Utah) also all had two hits each in the first game.
Lakeland returns to play Wednesday when it travels to take on Concordia University Wisconsin for a doubleheader starting at noon in Mequon.