GREENVILLE, S.C. – Playing for the fourth time in three days, the Queens University of Charlotte baseball team struggled in a 14-3 loss to No. 21 North Greenville University on Tuesday night at Fluor Field.
 
The Royals (5-15) surrendered 11 walks to the Crusaders (17-6) and committed four fielding errors as North Greenville scored 14 runs on just six hits in the game.
 
North Greenville got all the run support it would need in the third inning of play, scoring six runs without collecting a hit as the team took advantage of five walks and two Queens errors in the frame.
 
Queens responded with runs in the fourth and fifth innings of play to get on the scoreboard. Redshirt-freshman Noah Jones tripled to lead off the fourth inning and scored on an NGU error, as the Royals' second run came on an RBI single from freshman Nick Melton.
 
The bottom of the seventh saw North Greenville erupt for five more runs on just two hits, moving the advantage to an 11-2 margin. Queens scored once more in the eighth on an RBI single from redshirt-junior Chase Hager, but the Crusaders added three insurance runs in the home half of the inning to conclude the scoring.
 
Freshman Evan Dix (0-1) took the loss after giving up five runs (two earned) on one hit with three strikeouts and five walks over 2.1 innings in his first career start.
 
Fellow freshman Alex Hunter kept the potent NGU offense at bay, allowing one unearned run and one hit with two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of relief. Two more freshmen, Jake Michna and Landen Wright, tossed the final two innings out of the bullpen.
 
Hager and Jones were both 2-for-3 at the plate for Queens, while redshirt-junior CJ Hammonds and Ryan Dudney and freshman Jaret Lazich finished 1-for-3. Hager, Hammonds, and Jones each stole a base in the contest.
 
Queens returns to South Atlantic Conference play this weekend when the team travels to Greeneville, Tenn. for a three-game series with Tusculum University.