MELBOURNE, Fla. – Maddie Raske (Jr.-Tinley Park, Ill.) singled to drive in runs in the first and second innings and the Lakeland University softball team held on for its first win of the season, defeating Saint Mary's (Ind.) College 5-4 in their first contest at the Space Coast Spring Games Monday.

The Muskies won the opening game of their spring break trip and split two games on the day, following up their win with a 4-2 loss to Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) University. Lakeland is now 1-3 overall on the season.

The Muskies scored twice in both the first and second innings to build a quick 4-0 lead on the Belles (2-5 overall), a lead that for most of the game appeared it would be enough. Raske singled to drive in Sydney Meyer (Sr.-Crown Point, Ind.) to open the scoring and Abby Heitman (Sr.-St. Francis, Wis.) reached on a fielder's choice while Jacie Jones (Sr.-Prairie du Sac, Wis.) to make it 2-0 in the bottom of the first.

Lakeland also scored two more in the second, with Meyer and then Raske hitting RBI singles. Saint Mary's followed with two runs in the third inning, but the score stayed at 4-2 until the bottom of the sixth, when the Muskies tacked on an insurance run with McKenzie Staudinger (Jr.-Manitowoc, Wis.) reaching on an infield single and then pinch runner Mackenzie Ondrejcak (Jr.-Aurora, Ill.) came around to score while Staudinger was thrown out at second on the play.

The extra run would come in huge when the Belles mounted a rally in the seventh. Allie Moss hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3 and Gia Schiavone singled with two outs to drive in another run and make it 5-4. Saint Mary's had runners at first and second and the cleanup hitter at the plate when Natalie Ziebell (So.-New Holstein, Wis.) got Isabelle Hochmuth to hit into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Ziebell pitched a complete game, scattering 11 hits and striking out two with no walks for her first win of the season. Raske, Meyer and Callie Linders (Jr.-Griffith, Ind.) all had two hits each.

Lakeland also was involved in a close, low-scoring game against Baldwin Wallace (2-0). The teams traded two-run innings, but the Yellow Jackets had the final one scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run double by pitcher Katie Barnhart to break a 2-2 tie.

Baldwin Wallace also scored first with two runs in the third, but the Muskies came right back to tie it in the fourth. Heitman led off with a walk and Carlie Morrow (Sr.-Menasha, Wis.) hit a one-out single, and Linders later followed with a two-out single down the left field line to score both and tie the game. That would be Lakeland's last hit of the game, though, as Barnhart retired the final 10 batters she faced to pick up the win, allowing six hits with three strikeouts and two walks in the complete game victory.

Lily Pettit (So.-Rewey, Wis.) started and pitched three innings, allowing three hits and two runs with a strikeout and four walks. Addison Dierschow (Fr.-Sycamore, Ill.) took the loss, allowing two hits and two runs in two innings, while Jones pitched a hitless sixth inning and struck out two.

Lakeland will play two more games tomorrow, first taking on Cornell (Iowa) College at 9 a.m. Central time, 10 a.m. in Florida. The Muskies then will face Marietta (Ohio) College at 11:15 a.m. Central, 12:15 p.m. Eastern.