FIRST PITCH
Score: Queens 10 | Appalachian State 4
Records: Queens (5-20 overall, 1-5 ASUN) | Appalachian State (13-10 overall, 4-2 Sun Belt)
Location: Charlotte, N.C. (Truist Field)
 
The Short Story: The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team used timely hitting and dominant pitching performances to defeat the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Truist Field in Uptown on Wednesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED

-Queens opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning as they capitalized on a pair of hits and a Mountaineers error. Following a leadoff walk and a one-out single from Riley Cheek, sophomore Will Budnick would reach on a throwing error by the Mountaineers shortstop. The errant throw went out of play and brought McDermott in for the 1-0 lead.

-Queens would extend their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the third as Nick Brassington delivered a two-out RBI single into left field.

-Appalachian State would answer in the top of the fourth inning with three runs on one hit and one Queens error. The Mountaineers worked back-to-back walks before CJ Boyd laid down a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Braxton Church would hit a sac fly to plate the first run while advancing Hayden Cross to third. After a stolen base and hit by pitch, the bases were loaded for Alex Aguila who reached on an error by the Royals which allowed a pair of runs to score.

-The Royals would counter in the bottom half of the inning to even the score 4-4. Christian Maggio got the offense going with a one-out single into right field. Nick Melton would reach on a fielder's choice before Andrew McDermott walked to put runners in scoring position. Dillon Lewis would enter the game as a pinch hitter and hit an RBI single into right field.

-Queens would regain the lead in the bottom of the sixth with an explosive three-run inning. Tyler Peters opened the inning with a single to center field before Christian Maggio laced an RBI triple into right center. Nick Melton would follow that up with a two-run blast to right field on the very next pitch to give the Royals a 6-4 lead.

-The Royals would extend their lead in the bottom of the seventh with a run. Following a one-out double from Nick Brassington, Christian Maggio delivered a two-out RBI single to right field.

-Queens would cap off the evening with three more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Freshman JD Coleman roped a two-out double into the right-center gap which plated three Royals to extend the lead to 10-4.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Senior Nick Brassington led the offense with a 4-for-5 evening, including a double. The Raleigh native matched his career-high for hits in a single game.

-Christian Maggio was electric at the plate going 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs.

-Senior Nick Melton delivered the biggest blow of the evening with a two-run blast to left field.

-Andrew McDermott, Dillon Lewis, Riley Cheek, JD Coleman, and Tyler Peters would also add a base hit on the night. Peters extended his on-base streak to seven games.

-Royals starter Daniel Bagwell worked an efficient 5.0 innings while surrendering a pair of earned runs and three strikeouts.

-Jeffery Maidhof picked up his first win on the season in relief. The senior tossed 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out three Mountaineers to close the door shut.

-The Royals scattered 13 hits on the night, including five extra base hits. Queens has turned in double-digit hits in four of the last six games.

-Queens held the Mountaineers to five hits and four runs on the night, marking a season-low.

-The Royals were incredibly efficient when hitting with two outs as they plated six of their 10 runs in those situations.

NEXT UP
The Royals will hit the road this weekend for a league battle at the University of Central Arkansas. The series is set to begin on Friday, March 31^st at 7:00 p.m. ET.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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