MILWAUKEE – The MSOE softball team offense tallied 19 runs and 27 hits in two games to send the 2017 senior class out in style in their last home games, sweeping Lakeland on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at MSOE Athletic Field.

The Raiders (28-12, 17-5 NACC) closed out the regular season with wins of 6-1 and 13-5, in six innings, against the Muskies (16-24, 8-14 NACC).

MSOE now shifts its focus to the NACC Tournament, which gets underway Thursday at Alverno. Scenarios exist where the team could claim a share of the regular season championship pending the outcome of Benedictine and Concordia Wisconsin doubleheaders which were postponed.

The Raiders will be either the No. 2 seed with a bye in the tournament and start play at 2 p.m. or the No. 3 seed and take on the No. 6 seed at 10 a.m.

Lakeland scored first in both games but MSOE answered back ion a big way each time.

In the opener, LU scored a run in the second inning and the Raiders responded with a four-run third inning.

With one out in the third, sophomore Rachel Ziemba singled and, after an error, sophomore Emily Snow walked to load the bases. Freshman Amanda Manssen followed with a RBI single and junior Caitlyn Moran hit a two-run double down the right field line. Freshman Gabi Roderman then had a RBI ground out to make it 4-1.

Senior Kailey Smith doubled to open the fourth inning and, after a sacrifice bunt, Ziemba tacked on an insurance run with a ground out. The Red & White would then go up 6-1 with another single run in the sixth. Sophomore Emma Megal and Snow had back-to-back singles and Manssen followed to make it three-straight base hits with a run-scoring single up the middle.

Senior Shannon Curtis (18-6) pitched effectively in the opener, going the distance with six strikeouts and just five hits allowed. After conceding a run, she bucked down and posted back-to-back 1-2-3 innings. Then, in the last three innings, she stranded one runner in the fifth and sixth innings and the bases loaded in the seventh to lock down the win.

Manssen went 3-for-4 in the opener, with Moran (two RBI), Megal, and Ziemba adding two hits each.

Whereas the first game took some time to get going, the second started with a bang. The Muskies immediately jumped up 3-0 in the first inning to put the Raiders on the ropes. Fortunately, they responded with a nine-run frame.

Thirteen players came to the plate in the first inning, with the first six reaching base and five runs being scored before an out was registered. Megal and Snow had two hits each in the inning, with Snow stroking two doubles and driving in three runs. It was back-to-back doubles by the duo that capped the scoring.

Lakeland pulled a pair of runs back in the third inning.

Megal and Snow combined to on another in the bottom of the frame and the Raiders added two more runs in the foirth. Megal singled, stole second, and moved to third on an errant throwin the third. Snow then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Megal.

The next inning, Moran doubled and freshman Riley Rossbach walked to lead off the frame. A sacrifice bunt moved them up, then Smith singled to right to score Moran. Rossbach then came in to score when the fielder bobbled the ball to push the lead to seven runs at 12-5.

MSOE threatened to end the game early in the fifth inning before making it an eight-run game in the sixth. An error and a walk put a pair of runners on and Snow picked up her third hit of the game, a RBI single to left field to score sophomore Julia Marsh and enact a run rule.

Snow and Megal had three hits each, with Snow driving in five runs and Megal driving in two and scoring three. Smith, Ziemba, Moran, and Roderman (two RBIs) added two hits each.

Curtis grinded through 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. She struck out four batters and tied the school record with her 164th strikeout of the season. Moran pitched a scoreless 1.2 innings in relief, allowing just one hit, to close out the win.

Snow reached base safely in her 36th and 37th straight games, extending her NACC record. She also extended her hitting streak to 18-straight games, matching a hit streak she maintained earlier this season.