It was a wet foggy Saturday morning this past weekend as Lakeland baseball looked to carry over the momentum of a strong spring training trip to their home opener against Finlandia University.

Carry over the momentum they did, taking both games convincingly with scores of 15-1 and 9-1 improving their record on the season to 8-3.

The victories were a result of two solid pitching appearances from sophomore Derek Loomans and junior Andy Chitwood. Both players pitched complete games, Loomans giving up only four hits and Chitwood giving up five and striking out seven.

“I just wanted to be aggressive, throw strikes, and let my defense do the work,” Chitwood said.

The offensive charge for the Muskies was led by senior Mike Ruzek who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Senior Garrett Morris also had a solid game, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

In the second game the Muskie offense was aided greatly by six Finlandia errors and strong hitting performances from sophomore Ryan Boettcher (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, 1 run scored) and freshman Nate Soley (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored).

The Muskies will be back in action this Tuesday with a home double header against Cardinal Stritch, and then open up conference play Saturday with a doubleheader against Maranatha Baptist Bible College.