LISLE, Ill. –
Zak Keegan (
Sr.-Frankfort, Ill.) tied the game and
Tucker Gegenfurtner (
So.-Onalaska, Wis.) hit a two-out, two-run double to cap an eighth inning rally and the Lakeland University baseball team defeated Benedictine University 7-6 in the second game of a doubleheader Friday afternoon.
The Muskies bounced back after an 18-7 loss in the day's first game to post their second straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference split. Lakeland is now 8-11 overall and 2-4 in conference after six league games played away from home, including Friday's games that were moved up a day due to a wet forecast for Saturday and were moved to Benedictine due to wet field conditions at Lakeland.
The Muskies struggled to slow down the Eagles in the first game and then fell behind 5-2 in the fourth inning of the second contest. Gegenfurtner settled in after a shaky start on the mound, though, and Lakeland hung around, closed to within 5-3 in the fifth, and later came up big with a clutch eighth inning.
The Muskies loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth as
Landon Mani (
So.-Germantown, Wis.) and
Caleb Sumsion (
Jr.-Dayton, Nev.) walked and
Chris Day (
Jr.-Victorville, Calif.) reached on a bunt single. South struck out and
OakLee Spens (
Sr.-South Weber, Utah) hit a sacrifice fly to score Mani and make it 5-4, and with two outs Keegan singled to right to bring in Sumsion with the tying run.
That brought up Gegenfurtner with runners and first and second and two outs, and the sophomore came through with a textbook edition of helping a pitcher's own cause, delivering a double to center to score both Day and Keegan and give Lakeland a 7-5 lead, its first lead of the day.
Gegenfurtner came out for the ninth inning having retired 13 of the last 16 hitters he had faced, and he sandwiched a pair of outs around a hit batter and a wild pitch to get two down in the ninth. Kyle Campbell hit a single to center field, though, to score Zach Fell and bring the tying run to the plate.
Eli Watkins (
So.-Herrin, Ill.) came on in relief to face No. 3 hitter Brennan Fisher and got him to fly out to left to end the game.
Gegenfurtner earned his first win of the season, allowing 10 hits and six runs in 8 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and one walk, while Watkins picked up his first save of the year. Gegenfurtner also went 2-for-5 at the plate, Day added two hits and two RBIs and
Landen Sobieski (
Sr.-Berlin, Wis.) added two hits.
Lakeland pitching struggled in the first game as Benedictine (10-9 overall, 2-4 NACC) scored at least two runs in five different innings. The Eagles took full advantage of a windy day by hitting four home runs, including a pair by leadoff hitter George Betevis who went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs scored.
Benedictine broke the game open with a five-run third to take a 7-1 lead, and the Eagles were in line to end the game on account of the 10-run rule after seven innings when they scored five more to take a 15-2 going into the bottom of the seventh. The Muskies would extend the game, though, loading the bases with one out and setting the stage for Sumsion to hit a grand slam down the left field line, his first home run of the season. Spens later hit a sacrifice fly to make it 15-7, but Benedictine would score three more in the top of the eighth and closed out the win in eight innings.
Keegan and Gegenfurtner both had two hits in the first game. The Muskies had plenty of opportunities to tack on more, stranding 13 runners to the Eagles' four.
Lakeland next is scheduled to host Dominican University for its home opener on Tuesday, with the doubleheader starting at noon.
