DE PERE, Wis. – Maddie Raske (So.-Tinley Park, Ill.) hit a go-ahead solo home run to lead off the seventh inning and cap a huge week and the Lakeland University softball team edged St. Norbert College 9-8 in the second game of the teams' doubleheader Sunday afternoon at SNC's Miron Construction Field.

The Muskies played a pair of high-scoring games against the Green Knights, also falling 9-6 in the first game of the twinbill. Lakeland stayed above the .500 mark at 12-10 overall and is 7-3 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference after a 3-1 weekend that also included a sweep of Rockford University yesterday.

Raske hit her first home run of the season in the seventh, breaking an 8-8 tie with her third hit of the game. The homer wrapped up a scorching hot week for the sophomore, who hit .667 with 12 hits in 18 at bats over six games, including four doubles and nine runs batted in. Raske has hit safely in seven straight games in all, raising her batting average from .244 to .387 in that time.

Raske and Lexi Howard (Fr.-Crown Point, Ind.) both had big games at the plate, with Howard also hitting a solo home run in the third as well as a two-run triple in the fourth, her third triple in two days. Howard went 3-for-3 and including a walk reached base all four times, and finished a double short of the cycle while scoring twice and driving in three.

The Muskies led 2-0 after half an inning of the second game after a two-run single by Raske, but the Green Knights (6-22 overall, 5-7 NACC) scored four times in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Lakeland answered with four in the top of the fourth, including a sacrifice fly by Kendyll Holub (So.-Sturtevant, Wis.) an RBI single by Jordan August (Sr.-Schererville, Ind.) and Howard's two-run triple, but St. Norbert scored two in the fourth to get within 7-6 and then answered August's sacrifice bunt to drive in Carlie Morrow (Jr.-Menasha, Wis.) in the sixth with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie.

Natalie Ziebell (Fr.-New Holstein, Wis.) had a tough outing in the first game in taking the loss, but the freshman came on in relief with the score tied and one out in the sixth and retired the final five Green Knights batters in order, including three strikeouts to earn the win.

The Muskies came up short in the first game as they were unable to hold a 6-3 lead built after a five-run fourth inning. Morrow was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Sydney Meyer (Jr.-Crown Point, Ind.) hit a two-run single and two more runs scored after Jacie Jones (Jr.-Prairie du Sac, Wis.) reached on an error with the bases loaded.

St. Norbert came right back with four runs in the fourth, though, to take a 7-6 lead, including a two-run double by Ava Engwall and a two-run single by Addison Race. Lakeland would never lead again, going scoreless over the final three innings as SNC's Amber Johaneck finished pitching 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and two walks.

Abby Heitman (Jr.-St. Francis, Ill.) went 2-for-4 at the plate and Morrow reached three times, including twice being hit by a pitch. Lakeland stranded nine runners in the game and also committed four errors.

The Muskies travel again Tuesday to face Ripon College, this time for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. in Ripon.