VERONA, Wis. – Natalie Ziebell (So.-New Holstein, Wis.) threw a nine-inning complete game in the opener, Carlie Morrow (Sr.-Menasha, Wis.) drove in four runs in the second game and the Lakeland University softball team completed a successful road trip by taking two games from Edgewood University Saturday afternoon at Ceniti Park.

The Muskies outlasted the Eagles 4-1 in extra innings in the first game and then routed the hosts 10-0 in five innings in the second game. Lakeland kept pace with the leaders in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, staying in a tie for second place now at 15-5 in conference and 23-12-1 overall.

The Muskies completed a busy stretch of four doubleheaders in five days by winning six of eight games, and on Sunday locked up a spot in the NACC Tournament. Lakeland also enters its final four games still with a chance at tying for the regular season title. Both Lakeland and Aurora University are tied in the loss column with Dominican University, which at 19-5 has completed its regular season while both Lakeland and Aurora have four games left.

The Muskies needed a late rally to tie the game and get to extra innings in the opener but were carried by an outstanding pitching performance by Ziebell, who capped a big week with another excellent outing. The sophomore threw nine innings and allowed just five hits and a single unearned run in the third inning, finishing a week where she allowed just two unearned runs in 25 1/3 innings.

Lakeland trailed 1-0 going into the sixth inning, when Callie Linders (Jr.-Griffith, Ind.) led off with a walk, moved to third after a bunt single by Morrow and came home on a sacrifice fly by McKenzie Staudinger (Jr.-Manitowoc, Wis.). The Muskies then mounted what would be the winning rally in the ninth inning, starting with Lexi Howard (So.-Crown Point, Ind.) leading off with a double and Sam Marchant (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis.) reaching on a bunt single. Abby Heitman (Sr.-St. Francis, Wis.) then drove in Howard with a go-ahead infield single, and Linders later added a two-out, two-run double to make it 4-1.

Lakeland was held to seven hits in the first game as Edgewood (12-21 overall, 5-13 NACC) pitcher Lauren Prigge matched Ziebell most of the way. Prigge finished also throwing all nine innings, allowing just two hits and one run through eight innings before the Muskies scored three on five hits in the ninth.

The Muskies made sure there was no such suspense in the second game, scoring eight runs over the first three innings. Madelyn Abler (Fr.-Random Lake, Wis.) hit doubles in both the second and third innings and Morrow hit a two-run single in the second and added another RBI single as part of a four-run third inning.

Morrow finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored, Abler was 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored and Linders added two hits, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Howard and Marchant also both added two hits each and eight different Muskies recorded at least one hit in a 14-hit attack in just five innings in a game stopped after five on account of the eight-run rule.

Lily Pettit (So.-Rewey, Wis.) cruised to a three-hit shutout, needing just 58 pitches in a three-hitter for her second shutout of the season. Pettit and Ziebell both have nine wins on the season now, with Ziebell sporting a 1.90 earned run average and Pettit not far back with a 2.59 ERA.

Lakeland now gets some much-deserved days off before facing Benedictine University for a doubleheader Friday starting at noon in Lisle, Ill.