WAUWATOSA, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College suffered a home-opening sweep to Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference opponent Lakeland on Wednesday at Neumann Family Field by scores of 11-5 and 4-0.
Game 1: Lakeland 11, Wisconsin Lutheran 5
The Muskies (12-22, 5-13 NACC) struck quickly with three runs in the top of the first inning on five hits, taking advantage of an early Warriors error before RBI singles extended the lead to 3-0.
WLC (9-25, 3-15 NACC) answered immediately in the bottom half. After senior
Oliver Lopeztello (Chicago, Ill.) was hit by a pitch and junior
Ian Rintelman (Muskego, Wis.) doubled, junior
Colt Ratliff (Oxford, Ga.) lined a single that plated both runners, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
LU regained momentum in the middle innings. A solo home run in the third made it 4-2, and Lakeland added three more in the fourth on three RBI hits to build a 7-2 cushion. Two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth pushed the visitors' advantage to 10-2.
Wisconsin Lutheran mounted a rally in the eighth inning with five hits. Lopeztello opened the frame with his third hit of the day before Ratliff singled. Sophomore
Jacob Lorbecki (Richfield, Wis.) then drove in two with a single down the left-field line, and sophomore
Nate Dudek (Tinley Park, Ill.) followed with an RBI single to make it 10-5.
The Muskies added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI double for the final margin.
Lopeztello led the Warriors offensively, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Ratliff finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while Dudek added two hits and an RBI. Lorbecki drove in two runs as part of WLC's 12-hit effort.
LU was paced by Sean Gregorius, who went 5-for-6 with two RBIs, while J.T. Cortinas scored four runs and went 4-for-6 with an RBI. Chris Finn added a 2-for-5 day with a homerun and two RBIs, and Logan South contributed two hits and an RBI. Owen Fekety earned the win after allowing three runs on seven hits over 5.2 innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
Game 2: Lakeland 4, Wisconsin Lutheran 0
After three scoreless innings, Lakeland broke through in the top of the fourth on an RBI single to left for a 1-0 lead.
The Muskies added two more runs in the fifth with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to center to extend the margin to 3-0. LU capped the scoring in the eighth on an RBI single.
Wisconsin Lutheran outhit Lakeland 8-6 but stranded 12 runners and was unable to come up with the timely hit. The Warriors threatened in the ninth by loading the bases with two outs on singles by sophomore
Ryan Pierquet (Chilton, Wis.) and Lopeztello and a walk to Rintelman, but Muskies reliever Eli Watkins induced a foul out to first to end the game.
Pierquet led WLC at the plate, going 3-for-5. Lopeztello, Rintelman, Ratliff, Dudek and senior
Lucas Oswald (Muskego, Wis.) each added a hit, with Ratliff's eighth-inning double accounting for Wisconsin Lutheran's lone extra-base hit.
For LU, Finn went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Jordan Domingue finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Watkins earned the win in relief, tossing six shutout innings while allowing six hits, striking out six and walking one.
The Warriors host Concordia Chicago (17-16, 12-6 NACC) on Saturday for a 12 p.m. NACC doubleheader at Neumann Family Field. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
Â
