MOUNT OLIVE, N.C.- The Queens softball team lost two Conference Carolinas contests to Mount Olive College on Wednesday night in Mount Olive, N.C. The Trojans (23-16-1/11-5 CC) won the first game 1-0 and took the second 3-2 in eight innings from the Royals (16-21/7-5 CC).
Amanda Bowman (Kernersville, N.C,, Glenn) led the way for Queens with two hits, one in each game. Megan Campbell (Raleigh, N.C., Athens Drive ) and Chantel Dodge (Shalimar, Fla., Choctawatchee) each made contact in the second game to drive in runs.
Brittany Stephens (Charlotte, N.C., Hickory Grove Baptist) started the first game for Queens, giving up six hits and striking out five in 3.1 innings. Dodge closed the game with five strike outs. In the second game Dodge threw 11 strike outs and gave up four hits.
Game 1
It was just one home run hit by Mount Olive's Jenny Jackson in the top of the second that did the Royals in.
Stephens got the Royals out of the third with the bases loaded by sitting down Morgan Whaley to close the inning.
Bowman singled in the sixth for the second hit of the game, but Queens wasn't able to get a rally going to even the score. Stephens singled in the seventh, but again couldn't be advanced around.
Sarah Saunders was on the mound for the Trojans. She struck out three and gave up three hits.
Game 2
Queens came out in the second ready to go. Lead-off batter Mary Lee Giurintano (Greensboro, N.C. , Glenn ) started the game with a single and was advanced to second by a sac hit by Bowman. Kari Kmetic (Milwaukie, Ore., Putnam) moved Giurintano to third with a sac play of her own. Campbell singled to first base, brining Giurintano in for the 1-0 lead.
The defense held the Trojans off through the third and the offense did their part to add another run in the top of the fourth.
Dodge hit her second career homer to start the fourth inning and put Queens up 2-0.
The Trojans tied the contest up in the second half of the inning using one hit and two walked batters. Mount Olive scored the second run of the inning on an error by Queens.
The fifth, sixth and seventh innings went by with just one hit.
In the eighth, Queens had the go-ahead run, Keeya Turner (Fayetteville, N.C., 71st ), thrown out at home.
The Royal defense held off the Mount Olive offense for the past three innings, but the Trojans struck in the eighth. After a sac play brought Karen Thornton to third base, she was able to score two batters later on a single, giving Mount Olive the 3-2 win.
Mount Olive moves to second in the conference with the two wins, while Queens drops to fourth place.
Queens had five hits in the game from five different players. Mount Olive had one less hit, from three different players. The Mount Olive pitchers struck out just three Queens players.
