KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team opened South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday afternoon, falling by scores of 11-0 and 9-7 in a doubleheader against Coker College at Intimidators Stadium.
 
Game One: Coker 11, Queens 0
 
The series opener saw the Cobras score twice in the first inning of play before opening up a 6-0 advantage with four runs in the fifth, including a three-run home run. Coker was able to take advantage of four Queens fielding errors to score 11 runs on just 10 hits, while holding the Royals to four hits in the shutout.
 
Redshirt-freshman Nick Nelson (1-3) was hit with the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits with seven strikeouts. Junior Lee Harrison pitched two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts, while freshmen Daniel Bagwell and Nick Brassington combined to pitch the final three innings.
 
Freshman Nick Melton led the offense with a 1-for-3 performance, registering his first triple of the season and a stolen base.
 
Game Two: Coker 9, Queens 7
 
The Cobras once again got on the board first in game two, scoring twice in the second inning before the Royals responded with four runs of their own in the home half of the third inning. Redshirt-freshman Anthony Orta scored on a Coker error, fellow redshirt-sophomore and Dominic Ford scored on a wild pitch, and redshirt-freshman Noah Jones scored on a balk before fellow redshirt-freshman Austin Campbell drove in a run to cap the scoring.
 
Coker scored once more in the top of the fourth, but Queens answered with three runs in the bottom half, including an RBI triple from Melton and an RBI single from Campbell to put the Royals ahead 7-3 with just three innings to play.
 
In the top of the sixth inning, Coker scored four runs on three hits and a Queens error to tie the game at 7-all. Queens had a chance to walk away with a win in the seventh, but a runner was stranded at third to force extra innings.
 
Freshman right-hander Tanner Jacobson got out of a jam in the eight striking out a batter and forcing a fly out to center field to leave a runner at third. Queens went down in order before the Cobras took advantage of two more miscues by the Royals, scoring the go ahead run and an insurance run on back-to-back throwing errors. Queens again went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
 
Another freshman right-hander, Zach Kelly, had his second quality start in a row by allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits with seven strikeouts in five innings of work. Jacobson pitched three scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts, while Harrison (0-2) took the loss in his second appearance of the day, allowing two unearned runs on one hit with a strikeout.
 
Melton was 2-for-5 at the plate with a double, a triple and an RBI, while redshirt-freshman Greyson Haller was a perfect 2-for-2 with a double and two walks. Campbell finished with two RBI and Ford was 1-for-3 with a double and two walks.
 
Queens and Coker conclude the three-game League series tomorrow with a single game at 11 a.m. Live stats will be provided on the Queens Sports Network.