RALEIGH, N.C. — Despite holding the Wolfpack off the scoreboard until the sixth inning, the Royals fell to NC State by a 7-2 score in their final game of the Raleigh Times Tournament on Sunday afternoon.

QUEENS 2, NC STATE 7

• The game opened with a pair of scoreless innings, as Abby Craver controlled the early frames with dominant outings. Queens was unable to break through in the first inning, going down in order, while Craver responded in kind, striking out one and pitching two groundouts to retire the side.
• In the second inning, Queens made its first offensive push when Taylor Jones roped a double to left field. However, the Royals were unable to capitalize, stranding a runner at second. NC State looked to answer in the bottom half of the frame with singles from Church and Goodwin, but a perfectly executed 5-3 double play by the Royals ended the threat.
• Queens finally broke through in the third inning, adding a run after Emma Frye drew a walk and advanced to second while M. Strickland was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance, setting up Kaylee DeJesus, who delivered a clutch RBI single through the left side to bring Frye home. DeJesus later stole second, but Wolfpack reliever Gore managed to escape the inning without further damage.
• The Royals added an insurance run in the top of the sixth after Alexi Markle doubled to center, bringing in Olivia Thornton to put the lead at 2-0.
• Despite the hard-fought effort of the Royals, The Wolfpack soon found their way to the scoreboard extremely late in the bottom of the sixth after a few defensive miscues, a sacrifice fly, and two singles to take a lead of 7-2.
• After getting out of the inning, the Royals wouldn't be able to catch up in the top of the seventh.

ROYALS NOTABLES

• DeJesus had a solid outing at the plate, snagging two hits and an RBI.
• Lindsey DeRoeck, Byrd, Markle, Jones, and Thornton also each racked up a hit on the day.
• Craver started in the circle, going five innings and striking out two. 

UP NEXT
The Royals will head back home for their home opening doubleheader on the newly renovated "Stick" Williams Dream Fields against NC A&T on Wednesday, March 5. First pitch is slated for 3:00 PM. 

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.