WLC Secures Senior Day Split With Lakeland

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College collected its second consecutive Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader split against Lakeland on Senior Day at Neumann Family Field. The Warriors defeated the Muskies 8-3 in the opener before falling 6-2 in game two on Saturday.

WLC loaded the bases with one out in the first inning of game one before senior Carter Raabe (Mukwonago, Wis.) drove in two runs with a single to center for an early 2-0 lead.

A pair of RBI doubles in the fourth inning from LU evened the score at 2-2, but senior Danny Cain (Jackson, Wis.) sent a solo home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the inning for a 3-2 lead.

Senior Ryan Dominick (Bartlett, Ill.) made it a 4-2 game in the fifth with his sacrifice fly to right that scored senior Joseph Cook (Marshall, Wis.). Junior Jake Sillan's (Castle Rock, Colo.) lineout to center in the sixth was deep enough to score Raabe from third for a three-run lead.

In the seventh, Raabe drew a bases-loaded walk and Cain followed with a two-RBI single for an 8-2 advantage. 

Lakeland scored a run and loaded the bases with just one out in the eighth, but senior Glavine Matthes (Appleton, Wis.) came on in relief to get the final two outs and retired the side in order in the ninth for his first save of the season.

Cain, Raabe, and freshman Oliver Lopeztello (Chicago, Ill.) tallied two hits apiece for Wisconsin Lutheran, with Cain and Raabe driving in three runs each. Sophomore Tyler Danko (Milwaukee, Wis.) pitched 7.1 innings, allowing three runs while fanning five for his first win of the year.

The Muskies scored a second-inning run on a wild pitch, but the Warriors quickly erased the deficit in the bottom of the inning on freshman Tim Frerking's (Oconomowoc, Wis.) sacrifice lineout to left to scored junior Foster Engelhardt (North Richland Hills, Texas). 

The score remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the bottom of the seventh when Lopeztello singled home freshman Kason McFadden (Sachse, Texas), who also leadoff the inning with a single for a 2-1 lead.

In the eighth inning, LU scored four runs on just one hit, all coming after two outs to take a three-run lead. Lakeland added an unearned run in the ninth for the 6-2 final score.

Freshman Eli Michaelis (Wauwatosa, Wis.) led WLC with two hits, while six other players added a hit each. Wisconsin Lutheran honored its eight seniors before the game, including Dominick, Raabe, Cain, Matthes, Cook, Brady Ekenberg (McKinney, Texas), Fabio Kamitani (Naviraí, Brazil), and Hunter Martin (Whitewater, Wis.).

The Warriors (5-29, 4-18 NACC) host Illinois Tech (19-19, 12-10 NACC) tomorrow for a 12 p.m. NACC finale doubleheader at Neumann Family Field. Live coverage links will be available at WLCSports.com.