CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team (22-16, 13-5 SAC) took game one of the three-game non-conference weekend series in dominating fashion over Southern Wesleyan University (9-28, 2-19 CC), 16-3, at Tuckaseegee Dream Fields on Friday afternoon. The Royals offense exploded for 17 hits on the day, including six doubles and a triple on the afternoon. The 16 runs scored is the second highest scoring output of the season after the Royals posted 19 runs at Erskine College on Feb. 9. In addition to the offensive outburst, the Royals swiped seven bases which tied the program record for stolen bases in a single game.
 
Mason Pickard led the Royals in hitting going 3-for-6 with a double, a triple and an RBI. Dillon Lewis also totaled three hits on the day an RBI. Nick Melton mailed in a pair of hits as well while Riley Cheek, Will Budnick, Stephen Ridge, Tanner Jacobson and Jack Carris all had doubles on the afternoon. Queens starting pitcher Nick Charleson (6-6) picked up the win for the Royals on the mound tossing seven complete innings, allowing just three earned runs with three strikeouts. The deep performance is the seniors eighth outing this season throwing at least 5.0 innings and third consecutive.
 
The Royals got the offense started early, as a lead-off double by Riley Cheek followed by a wild pitch put Cheek 90 feet away with nobody out. A hard lineout would follow; however, Nick Brassington would slap an infield single to the shortstop, scoring Cheek. The first inning run marks the 18^th time this season that Queens has jumped on the board in the first inning. The Warriors would push a run across in the second on an RBI single and take the lead in the third on a home run down the right field line.
 
However, the Royals would respond in their half of the third. After being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Nick Melton would steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch. A walk and another hit by pitch, loaded the bases for the Royals with no outs. Nick Brassington would capitalize on the scoring opportunity by hitting a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Melton. A single by Dillon Lewis on the next at-bat would re-load the bases for the Royals before Garrett Evans would give the Royals the lead back on another sacrifice fly to left field, as the Royals took a 3-2 lead into the fourth.
 
In the fifth, the Royals blew the game open scoring five runs on five hits. MJ Sasapan would get a lead-off infield single, before stealing both second and third. After being intentionally walked, Dillon Lewis stole second putting two runners in scoring position for the Royals. Back-to-back singles by Garrett Evans and Carter Foster plated both runners for the Royals. Later in the inning, Tanner Jacobson would slap a bases-clearing double up the middle, scoring three runs for Queens to extend their lead to 8-2.
 
The fireworks would not stop there for the Royals as they added two more runs in the sixth inning. A lead-off walk, a single and a pair of stolen bases put runners on second and third with nobody out. Following a strikeout, Carter Foster hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Brassington. Mason Pickard would follow that up with a triple, scoring Dillon Lewis after he stole third. The Royals took a 10-2 lead into the seventh.
 
Dillon Lewis would add one more run for the Royals in the seventh, scoring Nick Melton on a two-out RBI single into left field. Three consecutive singles would add a run back for the Warriors in the eighth, however, the Royals took a commanding 16-3 lead scoring five more in the eighth.
 
An error and a double put runners on second and third with nobody out for Queens. A one-out Jack Carris double scored both runners. On the following at-bat, Will Budnick smashed a double into the right-center field gap, scoring Carris. Two consecutive walks loaded the bases for the Royals, before a Stephen Ridge double into the left center field gap scored two more Royals. The Royals would put the Warriors down in order in the ninth, as they cruised to a 16-3 win.
 
Queens will return to action tomorrow afternoon, as they travel to Central, S.C. to complete the non-conference weekend series with Southern Wesleyan. The two squads will play a doubleheader with first pitch of game one slated for 1:00 p.m. Game two will follow shortly after the conclusion of game one.
 
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