The Lakeland College baseball team snapped an eight game losing streak with a split against the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sunday afternoon.
The Muskies (17-19, 7-13 NAC) put on a hitting clinic in game one, scoring 12 runs on a season-high 23 hits in the 12-7 win. However, the offense went silent in game two, scoring just three runs in the 6-3 loss.
Senior Garrett Morris collected his third win of the season in game one. The Janesville, Wis., native pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on 11 hits, striking out five and walking three. Junior reliever David Cherney (Green Bay, Wis.) allowed three runs, one earned on three hits in his 1 2/3 innings, while sophomore Ryan Krzyzkowski (Franklin, Wis.) gave up one hit in 2/3 of an inning. Sophomore Ryan Boettcher (Bonduel, Wis.) sealed the game with a one hit ninth inning.
Lakeland got the scoring started with a five run second inning. Senior Jess Nickel (Waupun, Wis.) and freshman Nate Soley (River Falls, Wis.) each knocked in a run, while sophomore Brent Steudel (Hortonville, Wis.) scored two with a double to left field. A Boettcher home run and Soley triple scored three more in the third and Tim Green (Hager City, Wis.) singled in a run in the fourth to give the Muskies a 9-0 lead.
The Raiders scored one in the fifth, but so would the Muskies on a Matt Krueger (Medford, Wis.) RBI single. MSOE added three more runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to six, 10-4.
Lakeland didn't let the lead slip away, scoring two more runs in the seventh, including a Mike Ruzek (Manitowoc, Wis.) RBI double. Lakeland held in the ninth to get the 12-7 victory.
Every Muskies starter had at least two hits and eight players recorded at least one RBI.
It was a different story in game two, with just one player, Steudel, recording more than one hit.
Junior Justin Reminger took his first loss of the season in game two, throwing 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out three and walking two. Freshman reliever Austin Pflager (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) was the first out of the bullpen, throwing 2/3 of an inning, allowing one run on three hits. Fellow freshman Trent Schwalbach (Escanaba, Mich.) threw 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, while Krzyzkowski pitched in relief for the second time, with a perfect 2/3 of an inning.
The Raiders scored in the first inning and the scored would remain 1-0 until the fifth, when the Muskies scored on a Steudel sacrifice fly, scoring Green.
The tie was short-lived as MSOE scored three runs on five hits in the sixth, chasing Reminger. The Raiders added two more runs in the ninth, with just one hit, to take the 6-1 lead. The Muskies battled to within three, as Soley delivered a bases-loaded, two out, two-run single. However, sophomore Frank Pietrantonio (Kingsford, Mich.) grounded out to second to end the game, with Ruzek left on deck.
The Muskie offense struggled overall in the second game, amassing eight hits, while Soley and Steudel each delivered RBIs.
Lakeland concludes the 2012 campaign on Saturday, May 5, as the Muskies travel to Madison, Wis., to face Edgewood College.
To see the senior day festivities, click here.
To see what the seniors will take away from their time as a Muskie, click here.