CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Against the No. 13 team in the land, USC-Aiken, Queens softball registered six hits and the two Royals pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts, but it wasn't enough for to overcome the Pacers. USC-Aiken won both games on the slate by scores of 2-0 and 2-0.
The non-conference contests were originally scheduled to be played in Charlotte, but the snow from Friday night made the field unplayable and the games were moved to Aiken, S.C.
Of the Royals six hits Keeya Turner (Fayetteville, N.C., 71st ) and Amanda Bowman (Kernersville, N.C,, Glenn) had two each. The other four hits came from four different players.
The pitching staff of Chantel Dodge (Shalimar, Fla., Choctawhatchee) and Brandy Jester (Georgetown, Del., Sussex Central) limited the Pacers to 12 hits, six in each game. Dodge sat down seven batters while Jester used 10 strikeouts to put batters away. For both pitchers, today was their season-high number of strikeouts.
Lindsey Jones led the Pacers with four hits, three in game one and one in the second contest. Toni Flessate struck out six while giving up three hits in the first game and Lauren Rickabaugh also gave up three hits but registered seven K's.
Game 1
The contest was balanced from the first pitch. Neither team advanced past second base until fifth inning when USC-Aiken's Brandy Bossle, who was pinch running for Blair Warren, stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by Queens. Bossle would score on the next play giving the Pacers a 1-0 lead.
The Pacers added their second and final run in the sixth after stringing two doubles together.
Game 2
Queens gave up the first run of the game in the first inning and gave a great effort to tie it up in the second. Megan Lathbury (Georgetown, Del., Sussex Central) led off with a double to right center field. Megan Campbell (Raleigh, N.C., Athens Drive ) had a sac bunt to move Lathbury around to third. With one out on the books, the next three batters needed to get Lathbury home, but a pop out and a strike out retired the side leaving two on base.
The second run was scored in the third, unearned.
The Royals weren't able to get the bats going, but slowed the Pacers down and did not give up any more runs.
