PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Jordan August (Sr.-Schererville, Ind.) drove in four runs and sparked a big comeback as the Lakeland University softball team rallied first and then held on for a 13-12 win over Concordia University Wisconsin in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday.

The Muskies came back from five runs down and then nearly saw a seven-run lead evaporate before earning a split with a Concordia team in second place in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Falcons won the first game 11-5 but Lakeland clinched its spot in the NACC Tournament with a win to cap a zany twinbill on a chilly and windy afternoon with a pair of long games going until twilight.

After a frustrating opener that included five errors and Concordia scoring in six of seven innings, the Muskies (17-19 overall, 11-9 NACC) trailed early in the second game before coming back with a vengeance. Lakeland snapped a seven-game losing streak, seemingly making up for lost time by scoring 13 times over three innings to turn a 5-0 deficit into a 13-6 lead.

August hit a two-run double in the third to get the Muskies on the board, and then a combination of walks, CUW errors and clutch hits were all part of a six-run fourth inning. Lakeland scored all six runs after two were out, including August hitting a two-run single, McKenzie Staudinger (So.-Manitowoc, Wis.) contributing a run-scoring single and errors leading to three more runs.

The Muskies added four more runs in the fifth inning, again all after two were out and getting to the doorstep of ending the game on the eight-run rule after five innings. Maddie Raske (So.-Tinley Park, Ill.) beat out an infield single while Reyna Rupnow (So.-Ixonia, Wis.) and Carlie Morrow (Jr.-Menasha, Wis.) scored, and Staudinger continued a big day at the plate with a single down the right field line to send pinch runner Kaylee Hunt (Fr.-St. Paul Park, Minn.). Sydney Meyer (Jr.-Crown Point, Ind.) also hit a single through the left side to score Raske and make it 13-6.

The 13 runs were very nearly still not enough. Concordia scored six times in the top of the sixth, including a two-run single by Kaitlin Way followed by a triple by Jess Pozezinski to draw within 13-12. Natalie Ziebell (Fr.-New Holstein, Wis.) was able to strand the tying run at third base, though, getting Jenna Shadoski to strikeout looking, and Ziebell also worked past a single to lead off the seventh to get the final three outs, including a strikeout looking of Taylor Jacobson to close it out.

August finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk and Raske added two hits and three RBIs. Staudinger also went 2-for-2 with two runs batted in, Meyer added two hits and Rupnow went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored. Morrow also reached base four times, including three walks, and scored three runs.

The Muskies initially shook off a poor start to the first game, but Concordia (26-10 overall, 17-5 NACC) broke the game open with seven runs over the fourth and fifth innings. The Falcons led 2-0 in the second by taking advantage of four early Lakeland errors, but the Muskies capitalized on two CUW errors themselves in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 lead.

The advantage was short-lived, as Concordia came back with four runs in the top of the fourth. The Falcons also added three runs in the fifth, and the Muskies were largely shut down save for RBI singles by Raske in the fifth and Brianna Gaedtke (Sr.-Luxemburg, Wis.) in the seventh.

August and Raske both led the offense with two hits in the first game, with August finishing the day with five hits and Raske adding four hits and five RBIs.