CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Queens softball team is in Florence, S.C., for the Francis Marion tournament and all of the results and updates will be here in one easy to find spot.
Friday, March 6
Game 1
The Royals (5-12) opened the Francis Marion tournament with a 2-1 win over Pa. team Edinboro University (8-3). The loss is just the third for Edinboro this season.
Queens posted the first run of the game in the top of the first. Kari Kmetic (Milwaukie, Ore., Putnam) drove in Amanda Bowman (Kernersville, N.C,, Glenn) with a single.
In the fourth the Royals used doubles from Megan Campbell (Raleigh, N.C., Athens Drive ) and Chantel Dodge (Shalimar, Fla., Choctawatchee) to score the game-winning run. Campbell doubled first, followed by Dodge. Dodge earned the RBI.
The Scots answered one of the Royal's runs in the bottom of the fourth with a single home run from Dana Webb. The homer was the first hit of the game for Edinboro.
Dodge spent all seven innings as the pitcher for Queens. She tied her season high 12 strike outs. The Royals got six hits off of Stacie Balkovic and she struck out six.
Game 2
In the second contest of the day Queens (5-13) met up with St. Leo University (11-10) from Florida.
The Lions put up the first runs in the bottom of third with the combination of a single followed by a Queens error to allow for an unearned run. A single by Elysha Agen drove in another unearned run, giving the Lions a 2-0 lead.
Queens answered back in their next at bat. They scored one using singles from Alisha Waldrop (McDonough, GA , Luella ) and Campbell. St. Leo committed an error at first base as Stephens reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Waldrop to score.
In the last three innings Queens connected on two pitches and only gave up two hits.
Stephens was hurling for the Royals and put nine away on strikes. She gave up six hits. For St. Leo Ashley Uribanik and Kristen Kelly pitched for the Lions. They totaled seven strike outs and gave up four hits.
Game 3
Queens started the second day of the tournament off with a 6-0 win over Davis and Elkins. It was a good effort from pitcher Stephens as she gave up just one hit in the game and recorded her season-high 15 strike outs.
The Royals offense connected on six swings, with Kmetic hitting a double.
Audra Littlejohn (Riverside, Calif., Centennial ) drove in the game-winning run with a single in the top of the second.
In the fifth Queens added some insurance runs. The inning started with the first two batters, Giurintano and Bowman, walking. Giurintano was caught trying to steal second. Kmetic's double drove in Bowman for the 2-0 lead. Megan Rollins came in as a pinch runner for Kmetic, Another walked batter and two stolen bases put runners on second and third for Queens. Waldrop singled, bringing home Rollins and Campbell advanced to third. Another run came in for Queens and Davis and Elkins pulled starting pitcher Britne Bacca and put in Bridget Ours.
The change slowed down the Queens batters, but the base runners couldn't be stopped. After reaching on a fielder's choice, Stephens stole second, advanced to third then stole home for the final run of the inning.
Queens converted two hits into five runs.
Game 4
The Royals picked up their third win of the tournament against Newberry College. Queens used a three-run first inning to pick up the win 4-2.
Queens used three hits to earn three runs in the first. Bowman, Campbell and Waldrop all singled, driving in the runs.
In the second the Royals added one more run to the total with a Giurintano double for the RBI.
Newberry threatened in the fifth as a single put Aissa Gatewood on first. Dodge gave up her sixth homer of the year to Kat Hammond. Dodge gave up one more hit in the inning, and that would be it for the game.
Dodge earned the win with 14 k's and six hits. The Royals offense had just three batters struck out in the game and recorded five hits.
