Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
VERONA, Wis. – The Edgewood College softball team battled, but couldn't handle second place Lakeland College at Ceniti Park in Verona on Saturday. The Muskies extended their winning streak to 13 games and won both ends of a doubleheader, dropping the Eagles to 8-11 overall and 3-5 in the Northern Athletics Conference.
Game one was all Muskies as they hit three home runs to tally all five runs en route to a 5-0 shutout. The Eagles could only muster three hits against Lakeland ace Sara Roberts who threw all seven innings and struck out six while walking none in her tenth win of the season. KC Blahnik hit her team-leading fifth home run of the year to lead off the game.
Game two finally saw Edgewood College cross home plate and it did so twice in the first inning off Lakeland's Roberts. Jamie Kurt hit one of her two doubles of the game into left field to set up the Eagle cleanup hitter Colleen Joyce. Joyce who went hitless in game one for the first time in 14 games cracked a triple down the right field line to drive in Kurt for her one of her two RBI in the game. She leads the team with 19 RBI this season.
It seemed the Eagles had swapped roles with the Muskies until the second inning began. Rachel Elliott relieved Brittany Andrews to start the inning, but the Muskies seemed to have their way against the right hander. Lakeland showed why they are towards the top of the NAC standings right now as they scored seven runs on six hits before the inning finally came to a close.
With the score 12-4 entering the bottom of the fourth, a shortened five inning game looked eminent. However, the Eagles staged a fourth inning comeback following the exit Roberts who was replaced by pitcher Cori Zornacki. With runners on first and second, Kurt hit another double to right center field to drive in two and then Joyce followed it up with a single of her own to drive in Kurt. The Eagles cut the deficit to 12-7 before Jenna Ryan, in her second inning of work, shut the Muskies down for the first time in five innings.
Lakeland tacked on a run in the sixth and seventh innings to extend the lead to 14-7. Edgewood College had one last chance to get back in it and they loaded the bases with an error, a walk and a single to center. Pinch hitter Alexandra Baltazar then lined out to short and Ryan popped out to short for the first two outs of the inning. Hope wasn't lost though with the top of the order coming up. Leslie Osman drew a hit by pitch and Emily Monson singled up the middle to make the score 14-9 and putting the tying run on deck, but all went for not as Kurt grounded to third forcing out Osman to end the game.
The Eagles have another tough test with conference leading Aurora on Monday. They'll host the Spartans for the first time ever in a doubleheader to begin at noon at Ceniti Park in Verona.
