PLYMOUTH, Wis. – McKenzie Staudinger (So.-Manitowoc, Wis.) went 4-for-4 at the plate in the first game and the Lakeland University softball team handled Milwaukee School of Engineering 11-3 in six innings to open its Senior Day doubleheader Friday afternoon.

The Muskies honored seniors Jordan August (Sr.-Schererville, Ind.), Brianna Gaedtke (Sr.-Luxemburg, Wis.) and Melanie Watters (Sr.-Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) in between games, and a day of celebration started off on the right note as the Muskies dominated the first game. MSOE came back for a 1-0 win in the second game, though, and the results left Lakeland at 18-20 overall and 12-10 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference after their sixth doubleheader split in conference play.

Staudinger continued a red-hot week at the plate and doubled her career high with a four-hit game. She also extended a streak of consecutive at bats with a hit to seven, going back to the first game of the Muskies' doubleheader against Concordia University Wisconsin on Tuesday. The sophomore raised her batting average over 100 points, from .180 to .281 before the consecutive hits streak was snapped in Friday's second game.

August, Peyton Harlow (Jr.-La Porte, Ind.), Lexi Howard (Fr.-Crown Point, Ind.) and Reyna Rupnow (So.-Ixonia, Wis.) also added two hits each in the opener as Lakeland warmed up after trailing briefly early and scored in five straight innings to pull away.

Rupnow slapped a single to the hole at shortstop with two outs in the second inning, stole second and Howard's two-out double got the Muskies on the board and tied the game at 1-1. Lakeland then scored three times in the fourth, with Staudinger, Carlie Morrow (Jr.-Menasha, Wis.) and August all reaching on singles and Harlow was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for a 2-1 lead. Maddie Raske (So.-Tinley Park, Ill.) also drove in a run with a groundout and Rupnow reached for the second time on an infield single to bring in another run and make it 4-1.

The Muskies added a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth, then finished the game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game on the eight-run rule. Harlow singled up the middle for her third RBI of the game, Raske and Sydney Meyer (Jr.-Crown Point, Ind.) singled to drive home runs and Staudinger closed it out with a bases-loaded single to score Rupnow.

Natalie Ziebell (Fr.-New Holstein, Wis.) was the winning pitcher, throwing six innings and allowing just five hits and three runs (one earned) with three strikeouts. Ziebell improved to 7-9 on the season with her eighth complete game in 16 starts.

The Muskies hammered out 16 hits in all in the first game, but then suddenly fizzled in the second game against MSOE's No. 2 pitcher Brynn Timmer. Lakeland mustered just five hits against Timmer, who entered with a 5.30 earned run average but threw her first collegiate shutout and struck out a career-high seven while walking just one.

Timmer and Watters engaged in a pitchers' duel for the first five innings, with both largely in control and able to work out of any signs of trouble. The Muskies had the better opportunities of the two teams, putting a runner at third in the second with one out and again getting a runner to third in the fourth inning, but could not cash in.

The Raiders also advanced a runner to third with one out in the fourth inning, but Watters worked out of it with a groundout and a line out. The game turned on one play in the sixth, as MSOE's Alyssa Jacobson hit a drive off the wall in center field against relief pitcher Lily Pettit (Fr.-Rewey, Wis.). The Muskies struggled to get a hold on the ball and Jacobson never slowed down, coming all the way home on what was scored a triple with an error for the game's first run.

August singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, and pinch runner Abby Heitman (Jr.-St. Francis, Wis.) got to third with two outs before the inning ended on a groundout, and a one-out single by Howard in the seventh was followed by a fielder's choice and a groundout to end the game.

Watters threw five scoreless innings, allowing four hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Pettit was the hard-luck losing pitcher, allowing the game's lone run in two innings of work.

The loss was a blow to Lakeland's chances of a top-four seed in the NACC Tournament, which would've kept the Muskies out of the initial games of the single-elimination and left them needing just one win to advance to the double-elimination round. Lakeland now will need to sweep Aurora University in its season finale on Monday and then also need considerable help from other results to get to the fourth seed in the tourney.

The Muskies host Aurora for their regular season finale Monday at 3 p.m.