The Belmont Abbey softball team suffered a pair of defeats to the visiting Queens Royals, dropping game one 6-2 and falling 5-4 in the nightcap as the Royals scored twice in the top of the seventh. Queens moves to 16-19 overall and 7-7 in Conference Carolinas, while the Abbey falls to 8-26 overall and 1-11 in Conference Carolinas.

In the opener, Queens scored the first two runs of the game as it put up single runs in the first and second innings. The Crusaders pulled one back in the fourth as Nikki Faust worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a groundout by Amber Faust. After a popout, Kaitlyn Jones sailed a liner to right that was dropped by Whitney Britt, allowing Faust to score to close the Queens lead to 2-1.

That was as close as the Crusaders would get, as Queens responded with one run in the sixth, scoring on an Abbey error, and tacked on three more in the seventh, two on a Kaitlyn Cheek double and the other on an Abbey error.

Ashley Rollins earned the win for the Royals as she fanned five and walked two in a complete-game effort, yielding two runs, one earned, on four hits. Nikki Faust took the loss after surrendering six runs, four earned, on 11 hits in six and one-thirds innings. She fanned a pair and walked one.

Kinsey McClure led the Abbey with two hits, while Jones and Shannon Arthur had one each. Queens totaled 11 hits as Britt, Cheek and Robyn Levine all had two. Cheek drove in three runs.

In the finale, the Abbey led 4-2 after three innings but the Royals scored the final three runs of the game, including two in the top of the seventh, to post the win.

After the Royals plated a pair in the third, the Abbey responded with four in the bottom of the frame all coming after the first two batters of the inning were retired. Hannah Bright started the scoring with a single to center that chased home Shanie McConnell. Amber Faust then tied the game with an infield single that brought home Carol-Anne Sherrill, who drew a walk right after McConnell reached on a walk. The next two runs came home on bases loaded walks, as Jones worked a free pass, followed by Jena Reisanauer.

Queens trimmed its deficit to 4-3 in the top of the fourth as Levine scored on a wild pitch. Belmont Abbey maintained its lead until the top of the seventh, when the Royals overtook the game for good.

Britt led off with a double off the wall in left center and raced to third on an errant throw by McConnell. That prompted a pitching change, as Jacobs entered to try to halt the threat and save the lead, but that went by the wayside after one pitch, as Cheek reached on a squeeze bunt, as Britt raced home with the tying run and Cheek made it to first safely without a throw. Taylor Rosenbalm entered the game to run for Cheek, and she moved to second as Levine sacrificed her over. Noemi Rodriguez advanced Rosenbalm to third on a groundout, and she scored the go-ahead run as Amanda Meade singled over Sherrill's head and into left to put the Royals back on top.

Down to its final three outs, the Abbey started off the inning with a bang, as Amber Faust smashed a leadoff double off the wall in left center. Jones moved her to third with a groundout, putting the tying run just 60 feet away with one out, but a pair of first pitch groundouts back to the pitcher ended the game as Faust was left stranded.

Jacobs started the game and re-entered in the seventh as she took the loss. She pitched a total of four and one-thirds innings, allowing four runs, all earned, on five hits. She walked four and struck out four.

Kaitlyn Bodine earned the win after working the final four and one-thirds innings of scoreless relief. She held the Abbey to just six hits, walking three and striking out a pair.

Amber Faust collected three of the Crusaders seven hits. Sherrill, Bright, Jones and McConnell each had one hit.

Britt and Meade led the Royals with three hits apiece as they finished with nine.

Game 1 Box

Game 2 Box