FOND DU LAC, Wis. – The Lakeland University baseball team came back from a 12-run deficit to tie, but Marian University pulled back ahead to win the first game on the way to sweeping the Muskies in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon.
The Sabres outlasted the Muskies 20-15 in the first game and then dominated the second game in a 10-0 victory in seven innings. Lakeland dropped to 9-17 overall and is now 3-9 in the NACC, and fell behind Marian (10-12 overall, 4-6 NACC) in the conference standings.
The Muskies staged an incredible comeback after falling behind 12-0 in the second inning of the first game, battling all the way back to tie it. Lakeland scored a run in the third, five runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and then seven times in the eighth inning to tie the game.
Chris Finn (
Jr.-Mapleton, Ill.) had four hits and drove in four runs,
Jordan Domingue (
Jr.-Victorville, Calif.) and
Sean Gregorius (
So.-Germantown, Wis.) both had three hits and three RBIs each,
Chris Day (
Sr.-Victorville, Calif.) delivered three hits and
Logan South (
So.-Oswego, Ill.) added two hits and a walk and scored three runs. Gregorius hit a two-run single in the eighth and Finn added a two-run double, and South's sacrifice bunt scored
Sam Goodrum (
Fr.-Fort Collins, Colo.) to tie the game at 15-15.
All of the Muskies' work to get back into the game was undone in the bottom of the eighth, though, as Marian's first six hitters of the inning reached. Connor Schroeder's infield single with the bases loaded put the Sabres back ahead, and Brody Nolan followed with a grand slam to left center to quickly put Lakeland well behind again, and the Muskies would not score again in the ninth despite loading the bases.
Lakeland pitching struggled in the opener, with relievers
Bryan Mitchell (
Jr.-Adell, Wis.) and
Zach McMahon (
Fr.-Crystal Lake, Ill.) faring best. Mitchell pitched three innings and allowed three hits and three runs, and McMahon covered 2 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and one run.
Marian then took full advantage of the day's heavy winds in the second game, while the Muskies went silent at the plate. The Sabres hit four home runs in the second game, including Danny Santiago hitting a pair of solo homers, and Jason Sims added a bases-loaded three-run double in the sixth inning to give the hosts an 8-0 lead. Ayden Kanaman then hit a two-run homer in the seventh to end the game on account of the 10-run rule after seven innings.
Lakeland mustered just two hits in the second game against Marian pitcher Ian Dohms, who entered the game with a 6.61 earned run average but dominated in a seven-inning, two-hit shutout, striking out six and walking three. The Muskies never advanced a runner past second base and were shut out for the first time this season.
Lakeland is in action again tomorrow when it travels to take on Carthage College for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. in Kenosha.
