March 24, 2007

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Lake Superior State softball team rallied for 20 hits on the day to beat the Milwaukee School of Engineering 10-2 and North Park 8-5 in non-conference games held Saturday.

The Lakers (5-15), whose double-header against MSOE (0-5) was rained out on Friday, scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning to extend a 4-2 lead to 10-2 during Game 1 against the Raiders.

Nicole Dunford hit her fourth home run of the season, and Lacey Knoop and Ashley Yarrington had two hits each to lead the Lakers. Knoop, Yarrington and April Brandt had one double each. Nikki Christensen and Rachel Hall added singles.

Brandt also had three stolen bases, and Christensen had two.

Christensen was the winning pitcher, giving up two runs on two hits, three walks and eight strikeouts through five innings. Reliever Stephanie Reveley gave up one hit and struck out one batter in the sixth inning.

LSSU out-hit North Park 12-10 in Game 2, but took advantage of seven North Park errors. Hall, Knoop and Christensen totaled two hits each, and Helena Zandarski, Brandt, Dunford, Lisa Dahm, Erin Retherford and Jessi Ordiway added one hit each.

Dahm went the distance to earn the win. She allowed only one earned run, had one walk and struck out eight. She struck out two of the three batters she faced in the bottom of the seventh inning.

North Park dropped to 5-7.

LSSU opens Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on March 31 at Grand Valley State.