FIRST PITCH
Score: Stetson 12 | Queens 1
Records: Stetson (26-14 overall, 15-2 ASUN) | Queens (5-31 overall, 3-14 ASUN)
Location: Richard "Stick" Williams Dream Fields (Radford, Va.)
 
The Short Story:
The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team dropped game two of the weekend series against the visiting Stetson Hatters by a final score of 12-1. The Royals offense only managed to scatter two hits on the day as Stetson starter James Hays dominated with seven innings pitched and eight strikeouts. The right-hander sat down 10 straight Royals to finish his day.

HOW IT HAPPENED
-Queens jumped on the board in the bottom of the first inning with a run on two hits. Ryan Brown led off the inning with a double to center field before Lenox Lively moved Brown to third on a sacrifice bunt. Veteran Nick Alderfer followed it up with a single to first base that plated Brown for the early 1-0 lead.
-Stetson responded in the top of the second inning with three runs on three hits. Landon Moran reached by hit-by-pitch and Foster Apple delivered a two-run home run to right center to give the Hatters a 2-1 lead. Queens starter Joey Ruller dialed in back-to-back strikeouts, but the Hatters rallied with two outs as Nelphie Lopez singled through the right side. Anthony Gonzalez worked a two-out walk and Isaiah Barkett delivered an RBI single to right field extending the Hatters lead to 3-1.
-In the top of the third inning, Stetson added onto their lead as Lorenzo Meola led off the frame with a solo home run to right field. Ruller worked consecutive groundouts, but Jordan Taylor roped a two-out triple down the left field line. Nelphie Lopez followed that up with a two-run blast to right field to give the Hatters a 6-1 lead.
-Queens turned to the bullpen in the top of the fourth inning as Ryan Brown entered for the Royals. The freshman put down the first two Hatters, but the visitors went to work again with two outs. Juan De La Cruz singled to center field before swiping second to get into scoring position. The move proved timely as Lorenzo Meola laced an RBI double off the center field fence to plate De La Cruz and give Stetson a 7-1 lead.
-In the top of the sixth inning, Stetson tacked on another run to grow their lead. With runners on first and third and one out, Juan De La Cruz stole second and Queens catcher Lenox Lively threw all the way down allowing Isaiah Barkett to trot home on the throw and move the Hatters lead to 8-1.
-Stetson erupted in the top of the eighth inning with four runs on three hits and two Queens errors. The big inning propelled the Hatters to a commanding 12-1 lead and the series victory.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Freshman Ryan Brown turned in a solid day at the plate and on the mound. The right-hander came into relief and tossed 4.2 innings allowing just two earned runs while striking out five Hatters. At the plate, Brown went 1-for-3, including a double and a run scored.
-Nick Alderfer posted a 1-for-3 outing at the dish, including his 19^th RBI which is second on the team.
-Rookie Matthew Eagen made his ninth appearance and picked up a strikeout in two batters faced.
-The Stetson offense sprayed 13 hits on the night as Isaiah Barkett led the charge with a 3-for-5 night.
-The top of the Hatters lineup was aggressive on the bases as Barkett and Juan De La Cruz swiped a combined six bases.

NEXT UP
Queens and Stetson will wrap up the three-game weekend series on Saturday, April 19^th at The Stick. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Fans can tune in to the audio broadcast on the Queens Sports Network.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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