Queens rallies late, escapes Mars Hill with series win

MARS HILL, N.C. – The Mars Hill baseball team (6-15, 4-5 SAC) dropped both contests Sunday versus Queens (4-17, 4-5 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference play.  The Lions dropped game one by a score of 23-14 and game two by a mark of 11-9 in extra innings.

GAME ONE: QU 23, MHU 14

Queens used a five-run seventh inning as the catalyst for their 23-14 win over the Lions in game one of Sunday's doubleheader.

Tied at 11, the Royals plated five, led by Nick Brassington's RBI double down the left field line.  Three Lions' wild pitches allowed the Royals to take the 16-11 advantage into the eighth.  Following a scoreless penultimate inning, the Royals added seven more runs to build their lead to double-digits.

Both Drake Harris and Noah Jones hit two-run doubles while Brassington collected another two RBI off of a single to center field.  The Lions plated three in the bottom of the ninth to cut the deficit to nine.

Following Austin Treadway's RBI single in the first, a three-run triple off the bat of Nick Melton put the Royals up by two heading into the bottom of the second.  Cody Cline plated the next two runs for the Lions over the second and third innings.  A solo shot in the second cut the deficit to one before his sacrifice fly in the third tied the game at three.

The teams would go on to match each other's outputs over the next three innings, both recording one run apiece in the fourth, three in the fifth, and four in the sixth.

Melton led all players with five RBI, going 3-of-5 from the plate.  Brassington added four off of four hits while scoring three runs.  Cline went a perfect 3-of-3 from the plate and finished a triple shy of the cycle, collecting three RBI.  Jordan Lathe also added three RBI.

Madisyn Bolin closed out the offensive shootout, throwing three innings and allowing three runs on two hits.  Sam Kaplan was credited with the loss, allowing two runs.

GAME TWO: QU 11, MHU 9

Queens used the long ball in the final two innings to escape Mars Hill with the series win.

With the Royals trailing by four in the bottom of the seventh, a two-out, 0-2 pitch was cracked over the left field fence off the bat of Nick Melton, clearing the bases for the game-tying grand slam.  In the top of the eighth, a two-run home run off the bat of Dominic Ford proved to be the game-winning hit for the Royals to complete the sweep on the day.

The Lions entered the fifth inning down by one until Cody Cline's two-run single to center field gave them the lead, plating Scottie Lee and Casey Mawhinney.  In the top of the sixth, however, Queens answered back with two runs of their own, highlighted by CJ Hammonds RBI double to center field.

Mars Hill went on a tear in the sixth, putting seven on the board.  Mawhinney's RBI single provided the Lions a 4-3 lead as Jordan Lathe crossed home.  Later in the inning, two Queens' errors allowed the Lions to plate two more runs, ultimately capping off the frame with the 9-3 edge.

The trio of Ford, Hammonds, and Melton each had two hits for Queens while Melton led all players with four RBI.  Lathe had two hits for the Lions while Cline drove in three runs, running his total to six RBI on the day.

Nick Charleson was credited with the win, striking out two in two innings pitched.  Cameron Howell suffered the loss, allowing two runs on one hit in one inning pitched.

The Lions return to action on Tuesday, March 10 when they take on Erskine.  The non-conference road contest is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.