PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to win the opening game of the doubleheader and the Lakeland University softball team dropped a pair of close decisions Sunday afternoon on the Muskies' home field.

The Falcons won the opener 4-3 in 10 innings and then came back for a 5-3 win in the second game. The Muskies were pinned with their first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference losses of the season and dropped to 10-8 overall and 2-2 in the NACC.

Two games that went to the wire went against Lakeland, which staged a seventh-inning comeback in the opening game to push the game to extra innings and also held a lead early in the second game. In a pair of evenly matched contests against the defending NACC champions, missed opportunities proved to be a difference as the Muskies stranded 27 runners over the two games, including 13 to Concordia's four in the second game.

Lakeland kept the first game alive by scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh. Carlie Morrow (Sr.-Menasha, Wis.) hit a double and scored while Sydney Meyer (Sr.-Crown Point, Ind.) reached on an error, and Kendyll Holub (Jr.-Sturtevant, Wis.) later hit a two-out single to score pinch runner Kaylee Hunt (So.-St. Paul Park, Minn.) with the tying run.

Both teams had opportunities in the extra innings to go ahead, but Concordia (13-7 overall, 5-1 NACC) finally took advantage in the top of the 10th when Julia Moker led off with a double and later scored on a ground out by Rylie DuVal. The Muskies had a chance to tie it up again in the bottom of the 10th as Maddie Raske (Jr.-Tinley Park, Ill.) singled to lead off and pinch runner Madelyn Abler (Fr.-Random Lake, Wis.) moved to third on a double by Sam Marchant (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis.), but a line out and a fly out ended the game.

Lakeland got the jump in the second game in the bottom of the second with a two-out, two-run double by Morrow giving the Muskies a 2-0 lead. The Falcons would come back with four runs in the next inning, though, and Lakeland would never regain the lead despite plenty of chances.

The Muskies scored a run in the bottom of the third when Raske singled with the bases loaded and no outs to score Abby Heitman (Sr.-St. Francis, Ill.), but a fielder's choice, a pop up and a ground out halted the rally and left the bases loaded. Lakeland then stranded seven runners over the final four innings, including two in each of its last three at bats.

Raske and Lexi Howard (So.-Crown Point, Ind.) led the Muskies at the plate with four hits each on the day. Jacie Jones (Sr.-Prairie du Sac, Wis.) delivered another quality pitching performance in relief in the marathon opening game, scattered 12 hits over seven innings and holding the Falcons scoreless for 6 1/3 innings before CUW finally broke the tie in 10th to win a game that took nearly three hours.

Lakeland is home again Saturday when it welcomes Dominican University for a doubleheader starting at noon.