WILMINGTON, N.C.- The Queens University of Charlotte softball team split a doubleheader with Northern Kentucky (NKU) as they defeated the Norse 2-1 in game one before falling 8-0 in game two. With the results, the Royals are 1-2 on the season and have two more opportunities to gain victories in the UNC Wilmington tournament on Saturday.

Game One
After a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Norse created some traffic after a leadoff walk and stolen base from Ella LeMonier. However, Jordan Dunn was able to retire the next three batters and strand LeMonier on second to finish the bottom of the first inning.
 
In the top of the second inning, first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck led off with a single for the game's first hit on either side. DeRoeck was sacrificed over to second thanks to a bunt from Makala Strickland, but the side was soon retired.
 
The top of the third inning began similarly as Kaylee DeJesus led off the inning with a hit by pitch and was sacrificed to second base by Ashlyn Mickler. However, the Royals continued to rally as DeJesus reached third base on a wild pitch before scoring the first run of the game and of the Royals season thanks to a fielder's choice by Kayla Smith which scored DeJesus. Smith was sacrificed over to second base but ultimately left stranded. The Norse created traffic in the bottom of the third with their first two hits of the game with singles from Trinity Robertson and and LeMonier. However, the Royals kept the Norse at bay and held on to their 1-0 lead going into the fourth.
  
After several scoreless innings, the Norse began the bottom of the seventh inning with a bang as Trinity Robertson hit a homer to cut the Royals lead in half to 2-1. A double from Brielle DiMemmo forced a Royals pitching change and gave the Norse a premium chance to tie or win the game in the seventh as Abby Craver came in to pitch in relief. Craver responded to the pressure by striking out two batters and forcing the third into a groundout to end the game with a 2-1 victory for the Royals.

Game Two
After closing out game one, Abby Craver started in the circle for game two where she struck out two batters in a three-up, three-down first inning. In the bottom of the first, Kasidi Staley recorded the first extra-base hit of the Royals season as she hit a one-out double, but was ultimately left at second base.
 
The Norse began the scoring in the second inning as they recorded an RBI on a groundout from Megan Lenhart to give Northern Kentucky a 1-0 lead. The Royals had an opportunity to respond in the bottom half of the inning, but NKU found their way out of the jam.
 
Thr Royals ran into an obstacle in the fourth as they allowed four runs in the inning to give the Norse a 5-0 lead. Brielle DiMemmo had the big hit in the inning as she hit a two-run single allowing runners to score from second and third base. An RBI single from LeMonier chased Craver from the game as Kenzie Forrester came on to pitch in relief.
 
Northern Kentucky continued scoring in the seventh inning as they added three additional runs to take an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh. The Royals could not respond, falling 8-0 in the series finale.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Jordan Dunn had a nice outing from the circle to begin her season as she pitched six innings with only six hits and one run allowed. She also struck out two batters while walking two.
• In her season debut, Abby Craver pitched well out of relief as she struck out two batters and allowed no baserunners in an inning pitched as she recorded a save in game one.
• Despite some struggles in game two, Craver struck out three batters in 3.2 innings and finished the day with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched.
• Ashlyn Mickler led the Royals offense in game one as she went 1-2 with an RBI single and sacrifice bunt.
• Kasidy Staley had a strong game two as she went 2-for-3 with a double and a single as those were the only two hits of the game for the Royals.

UP NEXT
The Royals continue play in the UNC Wilmington opening tournament on Saturday as they face North Dakota State at 9:30 AM followed by DePaul at noon. This will be the first-ever matchup between the Royals and both the Bisons and Blue Demons.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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