NEWBERRY, S.C. – Courtney Pearson notched her ninth win of the season in game one, the Royals nearly erased a six-run deficit in game two, and the Queens University of Charlotte softball team (15-7; 5-3 SAC) moved into a tie for third-place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with a doubleheader split against Newberry (21-11; 3-5 SAC) on Wednesday at Smith Road Complex in Newberry, S.C. 
 
Game One: Queens 8, Newberry 4
 
Courtney Pearson led the way in the circle, freshmen Grace Valchar and McKenzie McCullen led the way at the plate, and the Royals picked up a commanding 8-4 win in game one. 
 
Pearson, who recorded her ninth complete-game of the season, moves to 9-2 on the season and has now recorded wins in seven of her last eight appearances. As for at the plate, Valchar led the way for the Royals, going 1-for-2 with two RBIs, one run scored and a home run. McCullen also batted in two runs and scored one, going 1-for-3 with a double.
 
Trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning, Valchar cranked no-doubter to straightaway center field for her third home run of the season to put the Royals up 2-1. In the fifth, McCullen kept the offense rolling when she smacked a double down the right-field line to score two more. Sara Ingoldsby then batted in Adriana Wilson, the eventual winning run, who was pinch-running for McCullen, and the Royals took a 5-1 lead. 
 
For McCullen, the double was her team-leading seventh on the season. She leads the Royals in batting average (.409), RBIs (21), hits (27), home runs (6) and doubles (7). 
 
Led by a RBI double from Cierra Robinson, her sixth two-bagger of the season, Queens went on to plate three more runners in the top of the seventh inning as insurance runs for Pearson, who closed the deal in the bottom of the last inning for the win. 
 
Game Two: Newberry 7, Queens 6
 
Newberry jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead through two innings and went on to expand the lead to 6-0 after four, but Queens' resilience at the plate led to a near-comeback that came up just short in game two as it dropped the contest, 7-6. 
 
Shannon McGuire (5-4) suffered the loss for the Royals after pitching two complete-game conference wins last week, while Robinson led the charge at the plate as she went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, one run scored and a triple. McCullen recorded another two hits, while Gerlea Patton and Kelly Winter each notched one hit apiece. 
 
Queens scored all six of its runs in the final three innings of play, including four runs in the sixth. Entering the top of the sixth down 6-1, the Royals manufactured runs they needed to bet themselves back in the game, as Sabrina Martinez scored on a fielders' choice, which allowed Robinson to step up and single home Valchar and Hunt. Sydney Ditto then forced a walk, cutting the lead to one, but the Wolves were able to escape the bases-loaded jam still up by one. 
 
After the Wolves scored one more in the bottom of the sixth – the eventual game-winner – Robinson struck again in the seventh with an RBI triple to right field to once again score Valchar. However, the Royals were unable to drive home Robinson, who ultimately went on to be stranded at third base as the game-tying run. 
 
Winners of four of their last six, the Royals will continue their road trip on Sunday, March 31 when it faces off in a doubleheader against Limestone in Gaffney, S.C. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.