CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queens University of Charlotte softball team secured the series victory over Jacksonville on Saturday, tallying a 7-3 victory. With the win, the Royals tabbed a .500 record (12-12) in conference play in 2024.

FIRST PITCH
Score: Queens 7, Jacksonville 3
Records:  Queens (28-24, 12-12 ASUN) | Jacksonville (26-24, 14-10 ASUN)
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (Pruitt Softball Complex)
 

GAME 3 - QUEENS 7, JACKSONVILLE 3

• The bats got started early for Queens, with Ashlyn Mickler knocking a leadoff single. Mickler would be thrown out on the bases a batter later when Kayla Smith grounded into a possible double play, but after the lead runner was out at second, Smith reached first on the fielder's choice and got to second on a poor attempted throw by the Dolphin shortstop.
• Kasidi Staley drove Smith home on an RBI single, but she would get to second on the throw. Lindsey DeRoeck then slapped a single to left field. Staley would score a couple of pitches later on a wild pitch by Jacksonville starter Christa Pritchard, to go up 2-0.
• Haley Hmiel and Brooke Piper would load the bases with walks. Kaylee DeJesus would then drive DeRoeck home as she grounded out to second base, putting the road team ahead 3-0.
• The Royals would not add anymore damage to the scoreboard, which sent out junior Jordan Dunn for her ninth start of the campaign. Dunn would only need seven pitches to retire the side.
• The Royals would add to their lead in the top of the second when Staley drove in Smith with a RBI single to stretch the lead to 4-0.
• Dunn was able to work out of some trouble in the second to leave two Dolphin runners stranded. Queens would load the bases in the top of the third due to three straight singles by Piper, DeJesus, and Madison Cantoni, leading to an RBI sacrifice fly to centerfield by Natalie Windham to increase the lead to 5-0 by driving Piper home. The Royals would strand two runners.
• Jacksonville's bats would stir awake in the bottom of the third with two singles by Madison Reynolds and Kari Holzrichter, along with a walk for Gabe Robles. The Holzrichter single would drive in Reynolds and a sacrifice fly by Averi Harcus would send Robles home. With two outs, Abby Craver would come into the circle to replace Dunn. Craver would get out of the inning with Queens still leading 5-2.
• Both teams put ducks on the pond in the fourth and fifth innings, but neither squad were able to alter the scoreboard. That included the Dolphins loading the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but Allis Bratek grounded into a fielder's choice out with Piper stepping on third base for the force out to end the inning.
• In the sixth inning, DeRoeck slashed her fourth hit of the day with a one-out single. Then, senior Haley Nelson hit her first home run since April 2022 and the first of her Division I career. The bomb put Queens ahead 7-2.
• The home team would try to rally in the bottom of the sixth with three consecutive singles to lead off the inning to load the bases. Jacksonville would only be able to score one run though on a groundout by Harcus that drove home Lindsey Chadwick. The Royals led 7-3 going to the seventh inning.
• Queens would not add to the lead in the road half of the final frame, and the Dolphins never pushed another run across.
• Jordan Dunn finished with 2.2 innings of work, giving up two runs with three hits.
• Lindsey DeRoeck had a career day as the sophomore snagged four hits on the afternoon. She scored twice. DeRoeck was one of four Royals with multiple hits in the final regular season game of the season. Ashlyn Mickler, Kasidi Staley, and Kaylee DeJesus each had two hits apiece.

BALLPARK BULLETS

• Kasidi Staley went two-for-two at the plate, snagging two RBI.
• Abby Craver earned her fifth win of the season inside the circle, grabbing three strikeouts.
• The Royals pieced together 14 hits in the series finale, a hit short of the team season-high of 15.

UP NEXT
Up next, the #6 Royals will face the #7 Dolphins in the first game of the ASUN Championship on May 7 at 3:00 PM ET.

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.