HICKORY, N.C.- The Queens University of Charlotte softball team (6-10, 2-6 SAC) faced Lenoir-Rhyne (9-5, 5-3 SAC) on the road in South Atlantic Conference play, splitting the doubleheader with the Bears.
 
Game One: Lenoir-Rhyne 8 - Queens 2
Trailing 3-0 after just one inning of play, Kayla Smith got the Royals on the board with an unearned run in the top of the second. Kasidi Staley recorded the RBI after being walked with the bases loaded.
 
The Bears then extended their lead to five, scoring three more runs in the bottom of the second when Kylee Leonhardt of the Bears recorded a three-RBI home run. Lenoir-Rhyne then scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Queens' final run of the game would come in the top of the seventh when Chole Linton homered to left field.
 
Shannon McGuire and Kate Hunter saw action in the pitcher's circle. McGuire recorded the loss to move to 2-5 on the year and Hunter totaled three strikeouts. Lauren Rakes of Lenoir-Rhyne pitched all seven innings for the Bears to record the win. She finished the game with 12 strikeouts allowing just four hits.
 
Game Two: Queens 9 – Lenoir-Rhyne 0
The Royals would be a different team in game two as they got going in the third when McKenzie McCullen homered to center field with Breanna Martinez and Kayla Smith on base after both recorded singles during their at-bats.
 
Queens then took advantage of a pair of throwing errors committed by the Bears in the top of the fourth to score six more runs. Smith recorded the first RBI of the inning after being walked with bases loaded. A throwing error by the left fielder after a single from Martinez with bases loaded then allowed the Royals to reach home plate three more times to take a 7-0 lead.
 
McCullen then put the icing on the cake with a two-RBI homer to left field that gave the game a 9-0 score that held until the bottom of the fifth.
 
Victoria Elder pitched all five innings for Queens to record a four-hit shutout and improve to 4-3 on the year.
 
Queens is back at home on Wednesday, March 17 when they host Coker at The Tuck at 2 and 4 p.m.