CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Queens found itself back in the win column Thursday evening as they crossed the southern border to compete in the first game of the Eagle Classic, taking on Winthrop. Queens started off hot on offense and rode
Autumn Courtney's strong pitching to earn a 9-2 victory and improve to 2-1.
After getting two runners on early,
Lindsey DeRoeck stepped up to bat and lined a double into left field to bring home
Gerlea Patton and give Queens a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning,
Haley Hmiel laced a ball to Winthrop's third baseman, forcing an error and bringing home another pair of runs to increase the early lead to 3-0.
Ashlyn Mickler added one of her two hits in the fourth, an RBI single to center field bringing home Patton for her second run scored of the evening.
In the top of the fourth, Queens continued to swing a hot bat as another three runs would cross the plate thanks to a two-run RBI double by
Jordyn Thompson, proceeded with an RBI single by
Haley Hmiel.
Winthrop responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning but Queens would push right back in the top of the fifth as
Gerlea Patton reached base safely for the third time with a monster RBI triple to right-center field, scoring
Kaylee DeJesus and pushing Winthrop's deficit back to seven. Patton would later score in the inning on a groundout by
Ashlyn Mickler.
On the mound,
Autumn Courtney was dominant from start to finish. She was scorching out the gate as she struck out three batters in the bottom of the first inning and added another two in the second, third, and fourth innings. She was poised and found the strike zone well, helping keep the Eagles' offense at bay, allowing just two runs on six hits while fanning 11.
COACH'S WORDS
"This was a complete team effort" said head coach
Stacey Schramm. "Autumn had a strong day on the mound. Our hitters continue to be gritty at the plate. They play for one another and there is not a selfish person on this team. And I'm not just proud of them, I'm so happy for them that they get to enjoy this win tonight. But tomorrow is a new day, so we'll get right back in the process of getting better every single day and the results will take care of themselves".
NEXT UP
Queens will compete in the second game of the Eagle Classic tomorrow, February 17 at 12:30 PM, taking on Nevada.
