The Dominican University softball team split a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) series on Tuesday evening in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, dropping game one of a doubleheader to the Lakeland University Muskies, 6-3, before salvaging the split with a 3-1 win in the nightcap. The split pushes the Stars to 14-12 overall and an even 5-5 in conference play.
Dominican will return to action on Saturday, hosting the Rockford University Regents for a NACC series at the Ballpark at Rosemont. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Game One: Lakeland 6, Dominican 3
The Stars took a pair of early leads but could not hang on as the Muskies rallied for two runs in the third before adding insurance tallies in the fifth and sixth innings, handing Dominican's
Cat Klostermann the loss, dropping the junior to 6-7 on the season.
Sydney Kuderna gave the Stars a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a one-out, run-scoring double, plating
Julia Orozco. After the Muskies evened the score in the bottom of the inning, Dominican's
Katie Fredrick singled and later scored on a Lakeland error in the top of the second, putting the Stars back in front, 2-1.
The Muskies rallied for two runs with a two-out rally in the bottom of the third to pull in front, 3-2, and then added to their lead with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth, opening a 6-2 lead.
Dominican tried to rally with two outs in the seventh with
Hannah Gordon lining a double down the left field line and later scoring when
Alyssa Stuart singled, bringing the tying run to the plate before the Muskies squashed the rally.
Klostermann worked a complete game in the circle, charged with four earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four.
At the plate, the Stars collected eight hits, including two apiece for Stuart and Fredrick.
Game Two: Dominican 3, Lakeland 1
Game two proved to be a pitcher's duel, scoreless into the sixth until Dominican put up a three-spot with three hits in the inning. Gordon and
Gabby Curran picked up back-to-back singles with one out before Fredrick doubled to right-center, scoring Gordon and pushing Curran to third. Back-to-back fielder's choices allowed Curran and then Fredrick to score, giving starting pitcher
Allyson Dilday a late three-run lead to work with.
The Muskies rallied in the bottom of the seventh, managing one to push across one run with three hits before Dilday ended the threat with a punch-out to end the game, one of two strikeouts in the game for the freshman right-hander.
In picking up the win, Dilday improves to 6-3 on the season, lowering her team-best ERA to 1.31.
The Stars picked up nine hits in the win, two more for Fredrick who finished the day 4-for-7 at the plate with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
