MILWAUKEE, Wis. – McKenzie Staudinger (Jr.-Manitowoc, Wis.) hit a go-ahead three-run double in the fourth inning and the Lakeland University softball team held on for a 9-8 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering in the second game of the teams' doubleheader Thursday afternoon at MSOE Raiders Field.

The Muskies came back for a much-needed win after falling 4-0 to the Raiders in the first game. Lakeland snapped a seven-game winless streak and improved to 11-10-1 overall and is 3-3 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.

The Muskies finally warmed up at the plate as the second game went on after being blanked in the opening game by MSOE pitcher Katie Pollock, who threw a complete game three-hit shutout to give the Raiders (4-18 overall, 1-7 NACC) their first conference win of the season. Lakeland scored its first run of the day in the third inning of the second game on an RBI double by Carlie Morrow (Sr.-Menasha, Wis.), and the Muskies scored seven times over the fourth and fifth innings in going ahead for good.

Lakeland took the lead in the fourth, loading the bases and then tying the game on a bases-loaded single by Sydney Meyer (Sr.-Crown Point, Ind.). The Muskies went ahead two batters later, when Staudinger hit a double down the left field line that brought in Reyna Rupnow (Jr.-Ixonia, Wis.), Callie Linders (Jr.-Griffith, Ind.) and Meyer to clear the bases and give Lakeland a 5-2 lead.

MSOE would not go quietly, scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth to close back within 5-4, but the Muskies scored three more in the fifth to extend the lead. Lexi Howard (So.-Crown Point, Ind.) led off with her third hit of the game, Sam Marchant (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis.) followed with a run-scoring triple, and Rupnow and Morrow added RBI singles in the inning.

Lakeland added a run in the sixth to push the lead to 9-4 when Marchant reached on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded to score Kendyll Holub (Jr.-Sturtevant, Wis.). The Muskies still had to hold on, though, as the Raiders scored a run in the sixth and then three times in the seventh, including when an RBI double by Lylah DeArmond made it 9-8 with runners still at second and third. Lily Pettit (So.-Rewey, Wis.) was able to get Caroline Fouras to foul out to left field to end the game, though.

Howard and Linders both had three hits each in the second game and Linders scored three runs. Meyer and Morrow also both added two hits.

The Muskies' bats were silent in the first game, as Pollock allowed just three hits with no walks and Lakeland did not move a runner past first base until the seventh inning.

MSOE took advantage of a trio of Lakeland errors in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead, and then added a two-run homer by Rikka Ludvigson in the fifth to make it 4-0. The Muskies finally staged a threat in their final at bat when Meyer singled and Morrow doubled to put runners at second and third with no outs. A pair of strikeouts and a fly out ended the game.

Natalie Ziebell (So.-New Holstein, Wis.) took the loss, allowing four hits and four runs (two earned) in five innings before Jacie Jones (Sr.-Prairie du Sac, Wis.) came on in relief and pitched a hitless sixth inning.

The Muskies return to play at home on Sunday when they host Wisconsin Lutheran College for a doubleheader starting at noon.