MARION, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team saw its two-game win streak come to an end on Sunday evening, falling twice to South Atlantic Conference foe Lenoir-Rhyne University at Big League Camp.
Game One: Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Queens 1
The Bears got on the scoreboard with a run in the first inning and three more in the second inning to give junior starter Alex Shirazi all the run support he would need. The right-hander collected his first win of the season after allowing just one run on seven hits with five strikeouts in seven innings of work. Senior Hunter Martin earned his second save with a scoreless ninth inning of relief.
Redshirt-sophomore
Dominic Ford provided the Royals only run of the game with a solo home run in the seventh inning as Queens left a total of 10 runners on base in the loss.
Ford finished the game 2-for-5 at the plate and recorded his 15
th stolen base of the season, while redshirt-junior
Chase Hager was 3-for-5 on offense, his second straight three-hit performance.
Freshman
Zach Kelly (1-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks in six innings on the mound. Junior
Lee Harrison allowed just one hit in two innings of relief with two strikeouts and redshirt-freshman
Wes Boling pitching a scoreless ninth inning out of the bullpen.
Game Two: Lenoir-Rhyne 9, Queens 5 (Seven inn.)
Lenoir-Rhyne carried momentum into the nightcap, scoring five runs in the opening inning play to build an early lead. Another run in the top of the fifth put the Bears up 6-0 with just two and a half innings left.
Queens got three runs across the plate in the home half of the fifth, including an RBI single from redshirt-junior
CJ Hammonds and a bases loaded walk drawn by Melton, to cut the deficit in half. However, the Bears responded with three runs of their own in the sixth to move the advantage to 9-3.
The Royals looked to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring twice on an RBI single from Hager and a Melton RBI double, but runner was left stranded on third and a strikeout ended the game.
Redshirt-junior
Jack Bergren (2-2) suffered the loss after allowing nine runs (seven earned) on six hits with four strikeouts across five innings. Fellow redshirt-junior
Kollin Schrenk finished the final two innings in relief, allowing just two hits with three strikeouts.
Melton ran his hitting streak to eight games, going 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Hammonds was also 1-for-3 with an RBI of his own and redshirt-freshman
Anthony Orta was 2-for-3 at the plate.
Queens and Lenoir-Rhyne conclude their three-game series tomorrow night with a single game in Kannapolis, N.C. at 6 p.m.
