CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team (24-19, 13-7 SAC) dropped a pivotal South Atlantic Conference doubleheader against the Anderson Trojans (21-19, 7-13 SAC) on Friday afternoon at Tuckaseegee Dream Fields. Queens fell in game one 10-6 before dropping game two 6-5 despite a late comeback effort. The pair of losses snaps the Royals' weekend series streak after previously winning the last five weekend series. In a tight race at the top of the South Atlantic Conference standings, the Royals dropped back to fifth with just a week left in the regular season.
 
Game 1: Anderson 10 | Queens 6
Dillon Lewis led the Royals in hitting on the game, as he had two doubles in the opener. Riley Cheek, Mason Pickard, and Will Budnick each had doubles on the day for the Royals as well. Will Budnick led Queens with two RBIs following a pinch hit double. Tanner Jacobson, Dillon Lewis, and Mason Pickard each had an RBI for the Royals, as well. Zach Kelly was excellent out of the bullpen for the Royals, throwing a season-best 5.2 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, with five strikeouts.
 
After two scoreless frames to begin the game, the Trojans exploded for five runs in the third. A single and a double on consecutive hits scored two runs for the Trojans. A sacrifice fly and then a two-run home run over the left-field fence pushed across three more runs in the third for the Trojans.
 
Anderson would push across three more runs in the fourth, to take a commanding 8-0 lead. A single and two walks, loaded the bases for the visitors with one out before a two-RBI single and a throwing error scored the three runners for the Trojans.
 
The Royals would threaten in their half of the fourth, loading the bases with two outs. A strikeout would end the inning on the following at-bat, however. In the fifth, Queens pushed across their first runs of the game. After a leadoff single by Nick Melton, a Riley Cheek walk, and a fielder's choice put runners on the corners with one out, Nick Melton would score on an error by the Trojans. Dillon Lewis would slap a two-out double down the left-field line, putting runners on second and third before Tanner Jacobson would plate the second run of the inning on an infield single.
 
A scoreless sixth, was followed up by a three-run seventh by the Royals as they trimmed the Trojan lead in half. With runners on first and second with one out, Dillon Lewis would get his second double of the game scoring the first run of the inning for the Royals. Coming off the bench, Will Budnick slapped a double into the right center field gap scoring a pair of Royals.
 
The Trojans would add a run back in the eighth on an RBI single, extending their lead to 9-5. The Royals would continue to claw back, however, as consecutive doubles scored the Royals sixth run of the game in their half of the eighth.
A lead-off home run by the Trojans in the ninth would re-extend their lead to four runs. Anderson would put the Royals down in order, as they won game one of the doubleheader 10-6.
 
Game 2: Queens 5, Anderson 6
Riley Cheek, Nick Brassington and Tanner Jacobson each hit a home run for the Royals in game two of the doubleheader. Carter Foster added to the extra base hit column, as he hit a double in game two. MJ Sasapan and Mason Pickard each had a pair of singles on the day while Nick Melton also recorded a single in game two of the doubleheader. Daniel Bagwell pitched 2.2 innings out of the bullpen without surrendering any Trojan earned runs. Queens managed to get a runner on base every inning in the second game, but struggled early cashing in on the opportunities leaving five runners on base through the first five innings.
 
Riley Cheek got the scoring started for the Royals, belting the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning over the center field fence. The home run was Cheek's sixth round tripper of the season which is tied for second most on the team this season. The Trojans would respond with a run of their own in the second, scoring on an RBI single.
 
Both the Royals and the Trojans would go scoreless in the third and fourth innings. In the fifth, Anderson exploded for four runs. With runners on the corners with one out, a sacrifice squeeze pushed across the first of the inning. Two consecutive singles would score two runs for the Trojans, and a throwing error by the Royals pushed across another run as Queens went into the sixth inning trailing 5-1.
 
Tanner Jacobson would get the Royals back on the board in the sixth fulfilling his pinch hitter duties as he smashed the first pitch of his at-bat over the left-center field fence. The blast was Jacobson's fourth this season as all four home runs have come in the last four games. The Trojans would re-extend their lead to 6-2 on an RBI single as the Royals would head into their final at bat trailing by four.
 
Queens would not go away easily as they conjurd up a two-out rally with the game on the line. An MJ Sasapan single up the middle was followed up with a Nick Brassington home run that he roped down the left field line. The home run was Brassington's team leading 13^th of the season as the senior sits tied for second in the conference in home runs. The home run would cut the Queens deficit in half as they trailed 6-4.
 
Looking to complete the comeback, the Royals earned two consecutive walks which were followed up by a Mason Pickard RBI single, trimming the deficit to 6-5. On Pickard's single, Jacobson advanced to third as the tying run was just 90 feet away and the winning run was on base. However, Anderson managed to escape the jam as a pop out to second base ended the Royals rally as they fell to the Trojans 6-5.
Queens will return to action tomorrow, April 16 for the final game of the three-game series against Anderson University. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Tuckaseegee Dream Fields. Prior to the game, Queens will honor their senior class with a special ceremony beginning at 1:20 p.m. on the field.
 
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