DUE WEST, S.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team moved its winning streak to four games with two victories over Erskine College JV by scores of 8-5 and 4-1 on Tuesday afternoon.
Game One: Queens 8, Erskine JV 5
In game one, the Flying Fleet scored a run in the first inning before Queens tied the score at one-all in the top of the second and took a 4-1 lead after a three-run third inning of play.
The Royals scored twice more in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to a five-run advantage, however, Erskine used a four-run bottom half of the frame to close the gap. Two insurance runs in the top of the seventh padded the Queens lead and secured the win.
Freshman
Justin Sponseller was 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, while fellow freshman
Aaron Douglas had two hits, including his first home run of the year, and three RBI. Junior
Ryan Dudney was 1-for-1 with a double, two runs scored, two RBI and two walks.
Right-hander
Adam Hartle (1-0) collected the win despite allowing five runs on 10 hits in five innings on the mound.
Christian Huggins made his second appearance of the season and threw two perfect innings of relief with one strikeout.
Game Two: Queens 4, Erskine JV 1
Another right-hander,
Drew Meschede (1-0), was the star of game two for Queens on the mound. The freshman allowed just one run on four hits with nine strikeouts over five innings in his first start of the year.
Jojo Castronovo threw a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts, while
Wes Boling picked up the save with a perfect seventh inning of work, striking out all three batters he faced on just 10 pitches.
The Royals offense provided all of the damage it needed early on, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings as Erskine scored its lone run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Junior
CJ Hammonds finished 1-for-3 with his first home run of the year and two RBI, while Boling was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI on offense. Dudney had a 1-for-3 performance and hit his second double of the afternoon.
Queens has a week away from the diamond before welcoming Montreat College to Jack Hughes Park on Tuesday, February 13, for the team's home opener. The doubleheader between the Royals and Cavaliers is scheduled to begin at Noon in Pineville, N.C.
