FIRST PITCH
Score: Queens 5 | Appalachian State 4
Records: Queens (1-0 overall, 0-0 ASUN) | Appalachian State (0-1 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Location: Hickory, N.C. (LP Frans Stadium)
 
The Short Story: On the opening day of the 2025 college baseball season, the Queens University of Charlotte baseball team used a late rally to surge past their in-state foes in Appalachian State on Friday afternoon. Queens plated four runs in the seventh inning and the bullpen shut the door across the final three frames to lead the Royals to their first opening day win in Division 1. The Royals pitching staff was electric striking out 16 batters, the most in the Division 1 era and tied for the second most in school history.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Queens applied the pressure on Appalachian State early putting runners on base in the first three innings. In the top of the second, Charlie Marcantel led off the frame being hit by a pitch before Will Budnick ripped a two-out single into center field. The Mountaineers would dodge the jam inducing an inning-ending groundball to keep the Royals off the board. The following inning, Anibal Rivera opened the inning with a single and the Royals moved him around to third with two outs. Again, the Mountaineers escaped without any damage to keep the score 0-0 through three innings.
-Appalachian State cashed in first with a run on two hits in the bottom of the fourth inning. Tyler Figueroa led off the inning with a single to center field before Kameron Miller worked a walk. Landry Jurecka picked up a key strikeout, but a John Kramer RBI single to right field broke the scoreless tie. Jurecka would fan his eighth Mountaineer before turning the ball over to Jack Renaud who picked up a clutch strikeout to minimize the Mountaineers scoring threat.
-Queens answered the Mountaineers run immediately in the top of the fifth inning. Will Budnick started the frame with a single to right field before Jacob Grimes moved him up on a sacrifice bunt. Consecutive walks from Anibal Rivera and Jake Barbour loaded the bases and Nick Alderfer wore a 3-0 pitch in the back to bring across the Royals first run of the game. The Mountaineers escape the tight jam with a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
-Appalachian State added onto their lead in the fifth and sixth with a pair of runs. Juan Correa blasted a solo shot to left field in the fifth inning and Dillon Moquin delivered a two-out RBI single to right field in the sixth to extend the Mountaineers lead to 3-1.
-Queens didn't waver answering the Mountaineers in the top of the seventh inning with four runs on four hits. Jacob Grimes got the rally started with a bunt single before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Anibal Rivera worked a walk and Jake Barbour followed with an RBI single to left field. A misplay by the Mountaineers outfielder allowed the Royals baserunners to advance an extra 90 feet. Appalachian State turned to their bullpen again and Nick Alderfer greeted the new arm with an RBI single to right field. The Mountaineers picked up a key strikeout, but Charlie Marcantel stepped in and delivered a first-pitch two-run single up the middle to give the Royals their first lead of the day at 5-3.
-Appalachian State would answer in the bottom of the seventh inning as Juan Correa belted his second home run of the game. The solo shot didn't deal too much damage as the Royals remained ahead 5-4.
-Holding a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Royals turned to D1Baseball ASUN Preseason Freshman of the Year to close the door. The rookie struck out the first batter he faced, but a wild pitch allowed the Mountaineers batter to reach safely. Looking to halt any chance of a comeback, Brown remained poised and worked three straight flyouts to clinch his first collegiate save.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Charlotte native Will Budnick turned in a multi-hit performance with a 2-for-4 afternoon and a run scored.
-Newcomer Charlie Marcantel delivered a 2-for-4 day in his first outing as a Royal. The junior provided the clutch two-RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Royals the lead.
-Sophomore Jake Barbour reached safely four times, including a pair of hits. The Raleigh native drove in a run and scored a run in the win.
-Shortstop Anibal Rivera was patient in the leadoff spot for Queens going 1-for-2 with three walks.
-Veteran Nick Alderfer turned in a 1-for-4 performance with two RBIs and two stolen bases.
-Caleb Stewart and Jacob Grimes rounded out the offense with a hit each. Stewart's eighth-inning single was his first career hit as a Royal after missing last season due to injury.
-Junior Landry Jurecka turned in 3.2 innings in his first start of the season. The right-hander struck out eight of the 16 batters he faced and allowed just one run on two hits.
-The Royals bullpen was dominant as Jack Renaud, Derek Westfall, and Ryan Brown combined to throw 5.1 innings and allowed just three runs while striking out eight Mountaineers. Westfall picked up his first career win while freshman Ryan Brown notched his first career save.
-The Queens offense was connecting early as the Royals outhit the Mountaineers 10-6. The Royals capitalized early in the innings getting their leadoff guy on base in 6-of-9 frames.
 
NEXT UP
Queens and Appalachian State will return to the diamond for game two on Saturday, February 15^th in Hickory. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Fans can watch the game here or follow the live stats here. Tickets for the weekend series can be purchased at the Queens Athletics website.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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