Gaston College unveils championship banner, closes inaugural season with a victory

On a day in which the school's championship banner was unveiled and placed on the outfield fence at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park, Gaston College closed out its inaugural baseball season in style.

The nationally-ranked Rhinos topped visiting USC Sumter 6-2 on Wednesday to finish the season with a 41-9 overall record.

Gaston College, ranked No. 5 in Monday's PBR Juco poll, No. 9 in Monday's National Junior College Athletic Association poll and No. 5 in Tuesday's thejbb.net poll, went 30-6 to win the West Division of Region 10's Division II.

But the Rhinos had lost four straight games since becoming the first team in Region 10 baseball history to win 30 conference games in a season on April 24.

"It's been a trying week to say the least," Gaston College coach Shohn Doty said. "But what a great way to end it. Sumter's got a really great team and we got back to doing what we do with opportunistic two-out hits. The recipe for success didn't change. We just got back to it."

The Rhinos scored their first five runs with two outs - three times in the third and two in the fourth - and starter Christian Baker and three relievers did the rest.

Baker, a High Point University signee, made his second start of the season and improved his record to 6-0 with five scoreless innings of two-hit, two-walk, nine-strikeout pitching.

"It was something different because I'm not an every day starter," said Baker, who finished the season with 22 overall appearances. "I knew I'd be on a short leash and I wanted to give my all with it being the last game of the year.
"It's definitely how we wanted it to end. I was happy to give it five innings of zeroes and let the boys take it from there."

David Sande, Hunter Shew and Dusty Sanderlin combined to limit the visiting Fire Ants to seven hits and two runs in the final four innings.

USC Sumter finished its regular season 33-13 and as Region 10 Division I regular season runner-up to Florence-Darlington Tech.

Ahmir Cournier, J.D. Yakubinis and Miller St. John had two hits apiece to lead Gaston College's eight-hit offense, with Pierson Gunnell had a two-run single, Trenton Snyder a RBI single and Yakubinis a two-run single and RBI double.

Baker and teammates Marlowe Iorio and Wade Kelly then gave Doty a celebratory ice water bath before the team's final 2022 postgame meeting.

"Like I told the guys, 41-9 is special," said Doty, who just completed his 30th year in coaching. "I've never been around anything like that. They set the standard for every team that's going to come through here.
"It's been a helluva ride and a helluva year. To finish in the top 10 of the nation in our first year speaks for itself."