CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queens University of Charlotte softball team took home a 1-0 win in a walkoff thriller in Game 1 and snagged a 4-0 win marked by an Autumn Courtney milestone in Game 2 against Western Carolina on Tuesday, March 26.
FIRST PITCH
Score: Queens 1, Western Carolina 0 | Queens 4, Western Carolina 0
Records: Western Carolina (7-17) | Queens (13-15)
Location: Charlotte, N.C. (The Stick)
GAME ONE NOTABLES
- Both squads went scoreless for a straight seven innings before a giant triple smashed by Kayla Smith paired with a WCU error turned into the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
- Jordan Dunn had one of the best days in the circle thus far this season, swiping a season-best eight strikeouts and snagging her second win in eight full innings of play.
- Both dugouts combined for only seven hits in the game (four from WCU, three from Queens). Ashlyn Mickler, Madyson Daughtry, and Kayla Smith all put the bat on the ball for the Royals in the effort.
GAME TWO NOTABLES
- Western Carolina's struggles in the field paired with an offensive burst from the Royals aided in a 2-0 Queens lead in the bottom of the first. Ashlyn Mickler led things off with a walk and stole second, and an error gave Mickler the green light to score. Next, a single from Abby Craver would put runners on first and second before a Kiana Termine RBI single up the middle scored another Royals run before WCU escaped further damage.
- The Catamounts would only manage one hit in the next two innings. In the fourth, Queens' Juhles Kelly led the inning with a single through the left side, and back-to-back bunts from Daughtry and Natalie Windham would load the bases. A single up the middle from Kaylee DeJesus would score two runs before WCU would be forced to make a pitching change.
- Autumn Courtney finished the 4-0 victory with 12 strikeouts. Her seventh strikeout of the day marked her as the strikeout leader in all of Division I with 153. She would tally five more before the end of the game, putting her ahead of the previous leader who currently sits at 152 (NiJaree Canady, Stanford).
REMARKS FROM HEAD COACH KELLA GOINS & PITCHER AUTUMN COURTNEY
"It feels great to have that many strikeouts so far this year," Courtney said postgame. "Really it all comes down to the awesome pitching coaching I have, the catchers I have to support me, and the scouting reports we work on."
For Head Coach Kella Goins, she said the wins were a great reminder of the "little things" for her squad. "The wins were really important to the team. We talked in pregame that they are very capable of winning once we put it all together. We put together a 'little things' list in our dugout this series and we kept track of those little things — and the games took care of themselves."
UP NEXT
Up next, the Royals stay home and head back into conference play against opponent North Florida on Friday, March 29 (2/4 PM) and Saturday, March 30 (12 PM) at the Stick.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Royals softball team on Instagram and Twitter/X to stay up to date on all the latest news surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics to stay updated on all the Royals sports teams in action by searching @QueensAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
