CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Grace Valchar hit a walk-off home run, Shannon McGuire pitched a complete-game shutout, and the Queens University of Charlotte softball team (10-4) completed a doubleheader sweep of Augusta University (3-15) on Thursday afternoon at Park Road Park. The Royals won game one in six innings by a score of 8-0 before taking game two in dramatic fashion, 2-1. 
 
Queens, winners of four in a row, notches their tenth win in 14 games and sweeps Augusta for the second time in as many years. The Royals allowed the Jaguars to score only one combined run in four games over the past two seasons. 
 
Game One: Queens 8, Augusta 0
 
Leading the way in game one for Queens was McGuire. The sophomore, who improves to 3-2 on the season, tossed her first complete game of the 2019 campaign and seventh of her career while allowing only two hits – both singles – to go along with nine strikeouts and only one walk.
 
Queens jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a solo shot to left field from Sydney Ditto, her second home run of the season. While McGuire continued to make quick work of the Jaguars, the Royals' bats came alive and broke the game open in the fourth inning with five runs, extending the lead to six, highlighted by a three-run inside the park home run from Gerlea Patton. Patton's fly to right field escaped the outstretched dive of the right fielder, sending it rolling to the fence as her second home run and team-leading 18th hit of the season.
 
Ditto then went on to notch her second and third RBIs of the game on a line drive through the middle, scoring Breanna Martinez and Patton and officially notching the complete-game win for McGuire in the circle. 
 
The Royals finished game one with eight hits from six different batters, including two from both Patton and Kelly Winter. Valchar picked up an RBI single of her own, and Sabrina Martinez stole two bases before forcing an errant throw from the catcher over the third baseman's head to allow her to score.
 
Game Two: Queens 2, Augusta 1
 
One out away from facing extra innings for the second time this season, Valchar stepped to the plate and cranked a walk-off home run to center field, her second home run of the season, emptying the bench in celebration and notching a doubleheader sweep in the final two games before opening League play on Saturday. The solo shot was the freshman's first walk-off of her career and second RBI of the afternoon.
 
Courtney Pearson got the start for Queens and pitched five innings of flawless ball, allowing only two hits and one run (zero earned), while striking out eight and walking before. Pearson then gave way to another freshman, Khristen McPherson (1-1), for the final two innings, as McPherson recorded the win with two scoreless innings with only one hit allowed. The win is the first of McPherson's career. 
 
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, Queens quickly erased the deficit by answering in the bottom of the frame when McKenzie McCullen beat out an infield single that resulted in Ditto scoring from second base on an error by the first baseman. The game then remained scoreless until Valchar's shot in the bottom of the seventh. 
 
Next time out, Queens will open South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday, March 16. The home doubleheader against No. 7 Carson-Newman is slated to begin at 1 p.m. from Park Road Park in Charlotte.