CHARLOTTE, N.C.- A three-run homer by Catawba's Khourtni Hester doomed the Royals chances of the second series sweep of the season after winning the first game 2-1. Queens held a 4-2 lead after five and a half innings of play, but the four-run bottom of the sixth put the hosts up 6-4. Queens tried for the rally in the seventh, scoring one, but couldn't get the game-tying run across home plate to force extra innings. Both teams move to 6-4 on the year.
Game 1
Catawba 1
Queens 2
The Royals out hit Catawba 6-4 with all of the Queens hits coming from different players. Kayla Myers had two hits for the Indians.
Each team notched a run in the third. The Royals earned theirs after
Emily Poulton (Temecula, Calif., Great Oak) started the inning off with her first multi-base hit of the year, a double. Three batters later she scored and gave Queens the 1-0 lead.
The Indians posted an unearned run to even the game at 1-1.
Queens broke the stalemate in the sixth when
Brittany Harrell (Morganton, N.C., Freedom) picked up her fourth career RBI when
Brooke Spradlin (Charleston, S.C., Wando) scored.
Chantel Dodge (Shalimar, Fla., Choctawhatchee) gets the win to improve to 4-1 on the year. She allowed just four hits and struck out six. Brittany Murray takes the loss while giving up six hits and striking out two.
Game 2
Catawba 6
Queens 5
Maria Goode (Charlotte, N.C., Providence) scored in the first and Poulton in the second to put two unanswered runs on the board through four innings. Catawba answered with two of their own in the bottom of the fifth, making Queens pay for two fielding and throwing errors.
The Queens offense made up for the defensive mistakes, regaining the lead 4-2 in the sixth.
Brandy Jester (Georgetown, Del., Sussex Central) gave up a run and a walk in the sixth before Dodge replaced her in the circle. Through five and two-thirds innings Jester gave up nine hits, four earned runs and had four strikeouts. Dodge gave up the three-run homer, but Jester takes the loss.
Kaitlyn Cheek (Richmond, Va,, JR Tucker ) was 3-4 in the game, while Queens had eight hits. Catawba's Carly Sabat and Amanda Terry each had a pair of hits. As a team, the Indians registered 10 hits.
The Royals return to Conference Carolinas play as they travel to Laurinburg, N.C. to play Saint Andrews on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 1pm.
