April 14, 2009

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LAURINBURG, N.C.—The Queens University of Charlotte softball team held on for a 5-4 victory in the first game and then coasted to a 10-1 (five innings) win in the second game to complete a Conference Carolinas softball doubleheader sweep of host St. Andrews Presbyterian College on Tuesday afternoon.

Freshman Kaitlin Harris (pictured) had three of the Knights nine hits against Queens University of Charlotte on Tuesday afternoon including breaking up a perfect game with a sixth-inning hit.

Junior Amanda Bowman (Kernersville, N.C.) had six hits to pace the Royals, who improve to 21-22 overall and 12-6 in the conference. Senior Kari Kmetic (Milwaukee, Ohio) added four hits and a team-high four RBI. The Queens pitching staff combined to only allow nine hits over 12 innings while not allowing an extra-base hit.

Freshman Kaitlin Harris (Acworth, Ga.) paced the hosts with three hits but the Lady Knights still had their four-game win streak in conference play snapped falling to 18-25 overall and 8-8 in the league. Freshman Lex Cowger (Indian Head, Md.) added two hits and two stolen bases.

The Conference Carolinas Softball Tournament seeding and game times will be announced by Wednesday evening by the league office. Coker College will host the 2009 edition of the conference tourney in Hartsville, S.C.

GAME ONE: Queens 5, St. Andrews 4
Box Score; Play-By-Play

Queens built a five-run lead in the opener and freshman Chantel Dodge (Shalimar, Fla.) took a perfect game into the sixth inning before St. Andrews made a furious comeback attempt that fell one-run short as the visitors claimed the first game, 5-4.

Dodge retired the first 16 Knights batters before Harris hit a clean single to center field. Harris, who was 2-of-2 with two singles, sparked St. Andrews as the Knights had four singles in the sixth and scored three runs to break-up the shutout bid. Junior Nicole Bailey (Lumberton, N.C.) followed with an infield single before freshman Cowger drove in SAPC’s first run on a base hit that plated Harris. Junior Sarah Applegarth (Gainesville, Ga.) followed with a single to left that scored Bailey. Cowger later scored the Knights third run on a delayed double steal with Applegarth.

The Knights pulled to within one with another run in their final at-bat. Junior Kailee Munden (LaVerne, Calif.) led off with a single and later scored on a two-out single by Harris.

Royals’ junior Megan Campbell (Raleigh, N.C.) broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a two-run single. Campbell added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to increase the visitors lead to three-runs. Queens increased its lead to 5-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth that was highlighted by an RBI-single by sophomore pitch hitter Carrie Beth Richie (Fayetteville, N.C.).

Bowman had four of the Royals 10 hits with four singles in her four plate appearances. Dodge passed the 250 strikeout plateau on her rookie season with eight K’s in her complete-game victory.

Knights’ freshman starter Ashley Disque (Prince Frederick, Md.) tossed a complete game for the Knights but was saddled with the loss after allowing five runs (three earned) over seven innings.

GAME TWO: Queens 10, St. Andrews 1 (5 innings)
Box Score; Play-By-Play

St. Andrews scored the first run of the game but Queens fired back with the next eight runs.

Sophomore Jasmine Dobbin (Pikeville, N.C.) started the bottom of the first with a bunt single. Cowger followed with a good sac bunt that Dobbin was aggressive on and was moving from first to third on the play that resulted in an errant throw to third that allowed her to trot home for the first run of the contest.

The Royals claimed the lead with four runs in the third and then added four more in the fourth to take a seven-run lead. Kmetic had the big hit in each frame with a two-run double in the third and a two-run homer in the fourth.

Queens continued to lead 8-1 before the game was delayed for over a half hour in the bottom of the fourth due to thunderstorms in the Scotland Country area. The Royals kept the bats going after the stoppage scoring two more runs in the fifth on back-to-back run producing doubles by freshman Keeya Turner (Fayetteville, N.C.) and senior Mary-Lee Guirintano (Greensboro, N.C.), which ended the game after a scoreless home half with the NCAA eight-run rule.

The Royals had 11 hits including Kmetic going 3-for-3 with 4 RBI. Giurintano and Bowman both notched two base hits. Sophomore starter Brittany Stephens (Charlotte, N.C.) moved to over .500 on the season at 8-7 with a three-hit complete-game that featured two strikeouts.

SAPC junior starter Sara Applegarth (Gainesville, Ga.) took the loss allowing all 10 runs over five innings.