Plymouth, Wis. – The Northland College Baseball team swept Lakeland University after rallying back in game one to win 11-8 and took game two 13-3 in a nonconference doubleheader in Plymouth, Wis., Tuesday evening. Senior Caden Willis had a day, leading the LumberJacks with seven hits, six runs, and four RBIs.
 
Ridge Guyette had the first hit in game one with a two-out double to left field. In the bottom of the inning, the Muskies found a groove to take an early 4-0 lead.
 
Willis led off the second inning with a triple down the right field line. An error by the first baseman scored Willis and put Nolan Hemmesch on first. Hemmesch would advance on a groundout by Bradley Stoner and would go around to score on a double by Tyler Murphy to cut the lead down to two.
 
Claudio Aguilar pitched a one-two-three second inning with a strikeout to keep the game at 4-2. Guyette and Willis would single in the third but would be left stranded. Come the top of the fifth, the Jacks trailed 6-2. Peyton Solberg and Willis had back-to-back singles to kick off the inning. Solberg would tag to reach third and would come around to score on a fielder's choice by Mychal Castillo. In the bottom half of the inning, the Muskies would get the run back to go up 7-3.
 
After two quick outs in the sixth, Northland started to make some noise. After drawing a walk, Guyette would score on a double by Willis, and a double from Hemmesch scored Willis. Bryce Smith would put runners on the corners with a single. A wild pitch would advance Smith 90 feet. Castillo would hit a bloop single over the shortstop to tie the game up at seven. The Muskies regained their lead in the bottom half. With one out, Dezmon LeTexier caught a fly ball then threw out the runner trying to tag up to get out of the inning.
 
In the eighth, Willis was hit by a pitch, and Hemmesch reached via walk. Jonjay Arreazola drew a two-out walk to load the bases. With the bases loaded, Murphy would hit the ball through the right side to score two runs, giving the Jacks their first lead of the game. Murphy took off from first to steal second, initiating a double steal. Arreazola would score, and the throw from second base would get away from the Muskies, and Murphy continued to round the bases and scored. Northland ended the top of the eighth up 11-8.
 
Solberg pitched the final two innings for the Jacks. The senior tossed two scoreless innings, including a one-two-three ninth, to earn his second save of the season.
 
Willis led the Jacks at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a triple, double, and two singles, and drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. Northland recorded 14 hits, with Guyette and Murphy also having a multiple hit game with three and two, respectively. The LumberJacks had their most extra base hits in a game this season with six on four doubles and two triples. Murphy and Castillo led the team in RBIs, driving in three runs apiece.
 
On the mound, Aguilar pitched five innings with two strikeouts and four earned runs. Vinny Cooney pitched the following two innings with a pair of Ks and did not give up an earned run to earn his first collegiate win. Solberg pitched the final six outs, only giving up two hits and no earned runs to earn his second save of the year.
 
After a scoreless first inning, Willis continued his hitting streaking with a single to left center. An error on a pick-off landed the center fielder to third base. Gabe Villa grounded out but drove Willis home for the first run of the game. In the bottom half of the inning, the Muskies were threatening with runners on second and third and one out. The LumberJacks would throw out the runner trying to score, and a pop-up to third would end the inning.
 
Jay Harris led off the third inning with a free pass after getting plunked. Murphy would single with two outs to put two on for NC. A wild pitch advanced both runners, and Harris would score on an error by the third baseman. Cooney drew a bases loaded walk to score Murphy, putting Northland up 3-0.
 
The Muskies had a lead-off single in the fifth, but the Jacks would erase the base runner after turning a double play. In the sixth, Cooney hit a leadoff double down the right field line. A groundout from Villa would move Cooney, who would later score on a passed ball. Harris drew a walk, Arreazola singled, and a pitch hit Smith to load the bases, but Northland could not extend their lead. The Muskies answered back for the first time in game two, putting three runs on the board to cut the lead to 4-3.
 
In the seventh, Willis reached on an error, and Cooney reached first after another hit. Grant Vessey singled to right center to drive home Willis, bumping the LumberJacks' lead back up to two. Harris drew a two-out walk to load the bases, but three more runners would be left aboard.
 
The Jacks would strike again in the eighth. Smith would draw a leadoff walk, then steal second and reach third after tagging up. Smith would remain at third as Nathan Davison and Willis would single to load the bases. Cooney followed with a bases-clearing triple. Vessey would score Cooney to increase the Northland lead to 9-3.
 
The score did not stop there for the Jacks. In the ninth inning, Smith would score after a single from Davison. With two runners on, Willis would go yard for a three-run home run. Northland would take a 13-3 lead into the bottom half of the inning. Solberg pitched another scoreless inning for Northland to sweep the day.
 
Northland matched its season-high with 16 hits in the victory. Cooney led the LumberJacks in game two with four hits and four RBIs. Willis and Vessey followed with three hits each, and Davison had a pair of singles. Willis scored four of the runs for the Jacks.
 
LeTexier started on the mound and pitched six innings in the win. The senior gave up two earned runs and struck out a batter. Solberg picked the final three innings to earn the save. He did not give up a run and struck out two batters.
 
The LumberJacks return to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play on Friday as they travel to the University of Northwestern for a 3 p.m. start.
 
Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.