LISLE, Ill. – The Lakeland University softball team came up empty in its trip to Benedictine University and fell out of contention for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season championship with a pair of losses Friday afternoon.
The Eagles defeated the Muskies by scores of 5-1 and 7-5 in the important conference doubleheader, and with it leaped over Lakeland in the standings. Benedictine improved to 32-8 overall and finished the NACC loop at 18-6, while the Muskies dropped to 23-14-1 overall and 15-7 in conference with two regular season games remaining Saturday against Marian University.
Lakeland entered the day still with hopes of tying Dominican University (19-5 NACC) for the regular season crown, but instead the day was a worst-case scenario. The sweep by the Eagles ensured the Muskies can finish no better than a tie for third in the NACC, and could finish as low as sixth if Lakeland can't take at least one of two games against Marian on Saturday.
The Muskies spent a good share of the twinbill playing from behind, including falling behind 3-0 in the second inning of the opener. Lakeland also missed its share of opportunities, stranding nine runners in both games, including leaving at least two runners in four different innings in the first game.
The Muskies did come back from an early 1-0 deficit in the second game, scoring twice in the top of the second.
Lexi Howard (
So.-Crown Point, Ind.) led off the inning with a double,
Sam Marchant (
Jr.-Green Bay, Wis.) drove her in with a single,
Madelyn Abler (
Fr.-Random Lake, Wis.) reached on a fielder's choice and
Callie Linders (
Jr.-Griffith, Ind.) hit a two-out single to score Abler and give Lakeland a 2-1 lead.
Benedictine came back to take the lead in the third inning on a two-run homer by Haley Barnes, and the Eagles added onto the lead with three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to take a 7-2 lead. Lakeland mounted a rally in the seventh inning, loading the bases with nobody out after a double by
Sydney Meyer (
Sr.-Crown Point, Ind.) and walks to
Carlie Morrow (
Sr.-Menasha, Wis.) and pinch hitter
Kendyll Holub (
Jr.-Sturtevant, Wis.), and Morrow and pinch runner
Reyna Rupnow (
Jr.-Ixonia, Wis.) both scored on a wild pitch. Howard then hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5, but the game ended with the tying run at the plate when Abler hit a line drive to center field that was caught.
The Muskies were held to five hits in losing the first game, the lone run coming in the fifth inning when Morrow singled up the middle to score Marchant. Lakeland stranded two in that inning, though, and stranded the bases loaded in the seventh as well, with the tying run also coming to the plate before Eagles pitcher Mckenzie Johnson recorded her ninth strikeout of the game to finish a complete game win.
Meyer finished with five hits on the day, including three of Lakeland's five hits in the opener plus two hits in the second game. Howard added two hits in the second game.
