GREENWOOD, S.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team split a season-opening doubleheader with Erskine College on Friday evening, falling 14-4 in the first game of the day before rebounding for a 13-2 victory in the nightcap on the campus of Lander University.
 
Game One: Erskine 14, Queens 4
 
Queens and Erskine were scoreless for the first two innings of the day until Erskine used a six-run third inning to build an early lead. The Royals responded with an RBI single from senior Drake Harris in the bottom half of the inning before the Fleet scored seven more runs in the fourth to build a 12-run advantage.
 
The fifth inning saw Queens score three runs, including an RBI double from junior Mason Pickard and a sac fly from redshirt-sophomore Alex Sexton to cut into the deficit. Two more runs for Erskine in eighth put the game out of reach as the Fleet earned the opening game win.
 
Pickard was 3-for-5 at the plate with two doubles and an RBI as seven Royals recorded a hit in the contest including multi-hit performances from redshirt-sophomores Riley Cheek and Carter Foster.
 
Redshirt-freshman Caleb Saley had a strong showing out the bullpen, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings with a strikeout.
 
Game Two: Queens 13, Erskine 2
 
The Royals flipped the script in the nightcap, scoring early and often in collect the first career win for new head coach Ross Steedley.
 
Queens got an RBI triple from redshirt-sophomores Nick Melton and Sexton in the second to go along with an RBI single from Foster to build a 3-0 lead. Another run in the fourth and five more in the fifth including and RBI double from redshirt-junior Chris Brady, put the Royals in front 9-0.
 
Pickard's first career home run for the Navy and Vegas Gold, a solo shot, put Queens up by double digits as the potent Erskine offense was held in check by redshirt-freshman Zach Kelly on the mound.
 
Kelly (1-0) collected the victory after allowing just one hit with five strikeouts in six innings of work. Junior Chris Ragosta pitched 1.2 innings of relief and redshirt-junior Nick Charleson tossed the final 1.1 innings, striking out two without allowing a hit.
 
Pickard laced a triple to centerfield with the bases loaded in the seventh to drive in three runs before Erskine scored one run each in the seventh and eighth innings.
 
Pickard once again paced the offense, going 2-for-3 with a triple and a home run to go along with four RBI and three runs scored. Sexton was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored, while Foster and Melton each collected two hits and an RBI.
 
The Royals return to action on Sunday, Feb. 7 when the team hosts Lander University at 1 p.m. in the team's home opener from the Tuckaseegee Dream Fields in Charlotte.