CHARLOTTE, N.C.- In the first road trip of the season, the Queens University of Charlotte softball team (2-2) split its two-game slate with the Carson-Newman Eagles (5-3) in Jefferson City, Tenn. The hosting Eagles took the opening game 5-0, but the Royals battled back for a 5-3 win second contest.
Senior
Brandy Jester (Georgetown, Del., Sussex Central) went 4-7 on the day and took the loss in the circle in game 1. Junior
Chantel Dodge (Shalimar, Fla., Choctawhatchee) picked up her first win of the year in the 5-3 victory.
Game 1
For the second time this year Queens was shutout in the opening game of a two game outing. Carson-Newman posted single runs in the first two innings and added three more in the fifth.
Jester provided the only two hits for Queens, while the Eagles took 10 from Jester at the plate. In six innings of work Jester picked up 10 strikeouts. Carson-Newman's Mary Shealy earned the win with only two hits, no runs and struck out seven.
Game 2
The Royals got on the scoreboard first in the second game.
Brooke Spradlin (Charleston, S.C., Wando) had her first hit in a Queens uniform, a single, to start the third inning. After a sacrifice bunt by Dodge,
Maria Goode (Charlotte, N.C., Providence) reached on a walk and
Emily Poulton (Temecula, Calif., Great Oak) got on from a fielder's choice where Spradlin was out, up stepped
Kaitlyn Cheek (Richmond, Va,, JR Tucker). Cheek hit two homeruns to help Queens defeat Georgia College on Feb. 11, and she did what she needed to do in this appearance. Cheek singled to left field allowing Goode to score and give Queens the 1-0 lead.
Bri Shoemaker helped C-N take a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the third with her run-scoring triple and she scored from a single. For the game Shoemaker hit for the cycle in the game and was 7-8 on the day with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBIs.
Queens took the lead for good in the sixth with a three-run inning. After the Royals loaded the bases, Spradlin ripped a double to center field, clearing the bases to give Queens a 4-2 lead.
The Royals added in insurance run in the seventh on a triple by Jester.
Shoemaker hit a single homerun in the seventh, but Queens held off any further attempts to cut the lead.
The Royals' offense had eight hits with Spradlin going 2-3. Dodge sat seven down with K's and gave up nine hits.
Queens plays again on Wed., Feb. 16 at home as they open Conference Carolinas play against Belmont Abbey. First pitch is at 3:30pm.
