Box Score FIRST PITCH
Score: Appalachian State 5 | Queens 2
Records: Appalachian State (1-0 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt) | Queens (0-1 overall, 0-0 ASUN)
Location: LP Frans Stadium (Hickory, N.C.)
 
The Short Story: Nick Brassington and Nick Melton knock a pair of hits in the Royals season opener against Appalachian State on Friday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Mountaineers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the first inning. Following a one-out single down the left field line, sophomore Austin St. Laurent roped a 2-run home run to right field.
-Queens plated their first Division 1 run in the third inning following a one-out double from Riley Cheek. The senior would advance to third on a wild pitch and score after an errant throw by the catcher trying to nail Cheek at third.
-Appalachian State responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning by capitalizing on a pair of Royals errors. Following a one-out walk, an error would put two Mountaineers in scoring position. A Hayden Cross single up the middle would bring both runners home to extend the lead to 4-1. With two outs and a runner on second, Cross would come around to score on an error by the pitcher.
-The Royals responded right back and threatened to get right back in the game. Christian Maggio lead off the inning with a walk before Nick Alderfer laced a double down the left-field line. Senior Nick Melton came through with a single through the right side and advanced to second on the throw. With runners on second and third with nobody out, the Mountaineers would get three straight punch outs to escape further damage.
-After three scoreless innings, the Royals threatened in the eighth after a one-out double from Nick Melton. Andrew McDermott worked a pinch-hit walk before Matt Riley reached on a fielder's choice. With runners on the corners and two outs, the Mountaineers managed to escape with a strikeout.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Senior Nick Brassington went 2-for-5 with a double. The Raleigh native holds an 11-game hitting streak dating back to last season as he recorded his 51^st career extra-base hit.
-Nick Melton tallied a 2-for-3 night with a double and an RBI.
-Senior Riley Cheek knocked the Royals first Division 1 hit with a double in the third inning.
-Nick Alderfer posted a 1-for-3 evening with a double.
-Senior right-hander Kei Yamagishi picked up the start on opening day. The Hillsborough, N.C. native tossed 5.0 innings and surrendered three runs across six hits.
-Daniel Bagwell made his 36^th career appearance out of the bullpen and tossed 3.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
-The Royals went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
 
FROM COACH STEEDLEY
"We left way too many guys on base, but we just have to learn from it and we will get back to it. That's the beauty of baseball is getting to play Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We get to play again."

NEXT UP
The Royals and Mountaineers will return to the diamond for game two on Saturday, February 18^th. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. from LP Frans Stadium in Hickory. Fans can purchase their tickets by visiting the Queens Athletics website.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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