FIRST PITCH
Score: Queens 11 | UNC Asheville 10
Records: Queens 4-9| UNC Asheville 6-6
Location: Greenwood Baseball Field (Asheville, N.C.)
 
The Short Story: The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team defeated UNC Asheville in a 12-inning thriller thanks to a game-winning pinch-hit single from Nick Alderfer and 3.2 scoreless innings in relief from Joseph Rodriguez.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Royals came out swinging as they recorded five consecutive baserunners and four hits with one out in the first inning. This included a two-run double by Tyler Cotto and an RBI single by Evan Zapp which gave the Royals an early 3-0 lead. Despite a leadoff double from the Bulldogs in the bottom of the first, the Royals escaped with no runs allowed in the frame.
• After a 1-2-3 top of the second, the Bulldogs cut into the Royals lead in the bottom half with two base hits, including a two-out RBI single by Ben Hemphill.
• The Royals had another strong offensive inning in the third as Dillon Lewis and Tyler Cotto began the threat with a single and walk, respectively. Later in the inning, Will Budnick hit an RBI single while Matthew Suppa recorded an RBI on a bunt.
•  The Bulldogs brought in their third pitcher of the game in the fourth inning after each of the first two pitchers struggled. However, the Bulldogs needed to make another change after Cal Barna walked the first three batters in the fourth and forced Jacob Williams to enter the game with the bases loaded and no outs and the Bulldogs already facing a four-run deficit. The Royals broke out in a big way once Williams entered the game. Dillon Lewis and Tyler Cotto each recorded two-run hits as Lewis hit a double and Cotto hit a single to continue strong days at the plate. Later in the inning, Will Budnick hit an RBI double to give the Royals a 10-1 lead with still one out. All in all, the Royals finished the inning with five runs on three hits as well as three walks which began the inning.
• Following the fourth inning, both pitching staffs pitched several scoreless innings each. The Royals took a 10-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning before allowing the Bulldogs to load the bases with two outs thanks to three walks. With two outs and the bases loaded, Royals pitcher Andrew White forced Corbin Lanowitz to ground out to second base which ended the threat.
• The Bulldogs finally added some more runs in the bottom of the ninth inning as Hemphill led off the inning with a double followed by a two-run homer from Kohl Abrams which cut the Royals lead to 10-3. UNC Asheville continued the trend as the next batter walked followed by another two-run home run from Dylan Bacot which cut the Bulldog deficit to five runs and chased Andrew White from the game.
• To relieve White, Isaac Kopalchick entered the game for his fourth relief appearance of the season. Kopalchick walked the first and only two Bulldogs he faced which forced him out of the game as Isaiah Bennett entered with no outs and runners on first and second base. Bennett allowed a single upon his entrance but recorded a critical strikeout with the bases loaded for the first out of the inning and the tying run in the on-deck position. After this strikeout, Bennett walked two more batters and hit another with a pitch which made the score 10-8 with the tying run on second and winning run on first base before Joseph Rodriguez entered the game as the Royals' fourth pitcher of the inning. After allowing two consecutive walks to tie the game, Rodriguez forced a critical 4-6-3 double play which ended the inning and sent the game to extras.
• Both teams went down quietly in the tenth as the Bulldogs only allowed a Jake Barbour single and Rodriguez retired UNC Asheville three-up, three-down.
• The Royals came out strong in the 11th inning thanks to a hit by pitch and walk which forced the Bulldogs to make a pitching change. After the pitching change, the Royals went down in order thanks to a popout, flyout, and strikeout.
• The Royals finally broke the 10-10 seal in the 12th inning as Nick Alderfer hit a pinch-hit RBI single to score Matthew Corlew from third base. In the bottom of the 12th, Rodriguez allowed two baserunners and recorded two outs to begin the inning. With two down and runners in scoring position, Rodriguez recorded the strikeout to end the game and give the Royals the 11-10 win.

 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Carson Magill made his first start of the season and pitched well as he pitched 4.1 innings with only one earned run and four hits allowed while striking out two batters. The strong start improved Magill's ERA to 4.35 on the season.
• Freshman Jack Brooker pitched 1.2 shutout innings out of the bullpen. In those innings, Brooker allowed no hits and only one walk while inducing two groundouts and two flyouts.
• Joseph Rodriguez pitched extremely well in relief for the Royals to collect his second win of the season. In the outing, Rodriguez pitched 3.2 shutout innings with three strikeouts.
• Dillon Lewis and Will Budnick both recorded four hits which tied a season-high for hits in a game by an individual Royal. Lewis finished 4-for-6 with two RBIs, three runs scored, and a double. Budnick finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs, and a double, and added a walk in the ninth inning to reach base five times.
• Tyler Cotto continued his strong offensive season as he finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs, a double, three runs scored, and a walk. The 4-RBI performance makes Cotto the second Royal to drive in 10 runs on the season.
• Jake Barbour and Evan Zapp each recorded one hit a piece as Zapp hit an RBI single in the first inning and Barbour a leadoff single in the 10^th.
• This game was the first extra-inning game of the season and the longest game by innings since March 26, 2022, when Queens defeated Newberry 7-2 in 14 innings.

 
NEXT UP
The Royals continue their westward travel as they play Tennessee Tech this weekend in Cookeville. This will be a three-game series between Friday and Sunday as the first pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4:00 PM EST. The Royals hosted the Golden Eagles last season and took one of three as they won game one 13-12.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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