BELMONT, N.C.– The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team moved its win streak to five games in a row and reached the 20-win mark following 16-2 and 6-3 wins over Belmont Abbey College's JV team on Thursday afternoon in the team's final games of the year.
 
Queens finishes the season 21-11 overall, going 15-10 on the road with a 6-1 mark inside the friendly confines of Jack Hughes Park.
 
Game One: Queens 16, Belmont Abbey JV 2 (Five innings)
 
The day's first game ended after five innings due to a mercy rule agreed upon during the pre-game coaches meeting as Queens racked up 15 hits, including eight of the extra base variety.
 
Queens began the game with a three-run first, including an RBI triple from sophomore Dominic Ford that scored two runs following back-to-back singles from freshman Austin Campbell and junior CJ Hammonds.
 
In the second, Campbell and Ford each had RBI singles while Hammonds had an RBI triple to move the Royals lead to 8-0. An RBI single from freshman Jojo Castronovo in the third and another RBI triple by Ford in the fifth continued to build Queens' lead as the Royals scored at least two runs in each inning of the contest.
 
Ford finished the game 3-for-4 with two triples, two runs scored and five RBI. Freshman Noah Jones was also 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, while Hammonds was 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
 
Freshman Wes Boling had a 2-for-4 outing, hitting his third home run of the season and recording two RBI, while Campbell turned in a 2-for-2 performance, hitting a double, driving in two runs and scoring three runs of his own.
 
Junior Jack Bergren (4-3) collected the win after allowing two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts across four innings of work. Freshman Christian Huggins made his 11th appearance of the season and struck out one batter in a perfect inning of relief.
 
Game Two: Queens 6, Belmont Abbey JV 3 (Seven innings)
 
Queens needed a late-inning rally to secure a win in its season finale, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning to come away with the victory.
 
Belmont Abbey scored twice in the opening inning to take an early lead before Queens answered with two runs in the top of the second. Ford led off with a single and later scored on an RBI double from freshman Anthony Orta before an RBI single from Jones tied the game at 2-all.
 
The Crusaders retook the lead at 3-2 in the third as the Royals battled back to tie the score once again with a single run in the fifth.
 
In the sixth, Belmont Abbey loaded the bases with one out but reliever Lee Harrison was able to get a strikeout and a ground out to escape the jam and keep Queens' comeback hopes alive.
 
Boling led off the seventh with a single and stole second to move into scoring position. The stolen base was Boling's seventh of the season and gave the Royals 100 stolen bases for the season.
 
With Boling on second, freshman Drew Meschede stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter and put a ball in play, forcing the Crusader defense to commit a fielding error that allowed Boling to cross the plater and give Queens the lead.
 
Junior Max Fries, serving as a pinch runner, scored on an RBI single from Campbell who scored a run of his own on an RBI single from Hammonds to put the Royals ahead 6-3. Harrison shut down the Crusader offense in order in the bottom half of the seventh to preserve the win.
 
Ford continued his strong offensive output, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base, while Jones was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Campbell registered a 2-for-4 output with two RBI and a run scored of his own.
 
Harrison (2-1) earned the win after allowing just one hit with five strikeouts over four innings out of the bullpen in his sixth appearance of the season. Freshman Adam Hartle started the game and tossed three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits with four strikeouts.