Gaston College rolls to doubleheader sweep of Guilford Tech

The nationally ranked Gaston College Rhinos completed a smashing weekend season debut with a doubleheader sweep of Guilford Tech Sunday at Sims Legion Park.

Following on the heels of Saturday's 13-1 victory, the Rhinos flexed offensive muscle and stellar pitching with a 10-2 win in game one and a 16-0 decision in the second game that was shortened to 4 1/2 innings on the mercy rule.

Yet, head coach Shohn Doty sees plenty of room for improvement as the much-anticipated season gets underway.

"There are some things we can take away from this that we have to work on. That being said, we responded really well in the second game. We played clean defensively, we pitched it at a high level, and offensively, we are obviously talented," Doty said.

Overall, Doty gave his team exemplary marks for games one and three, with a rating of "very average in the first game."

Designated hitter Ben Karpowicz paced the offense in the doubleheader sweep, hitting three home runs, two of them in game two, and driving in six runs.

In game one, the Rhinos broke on top with three runs in each of the first two innings and were never challenged. Home runs by Karpowicz, a three-run shot, and Seth Christmas, a two-run banger, powered the fast start.

Starter Calvert Clark and relievers Evan Vandenbosch and Jason Johnson shared the mound duties, but the Rhinos lost the shutout bid when Guilford Tech plated two runs in the top of the seventh.

Vandenbosch pitched out of a two-out jam in the top of the sixth with runners at second and third.

In the second game, Gaston College knocked out Guilford Tech starter Trevor Medlin with an eight-run spree in the first inning, matching its first at-bat Saturday in terms of offensive production.

Lead-off batter Trevor Lucas set the tone for the game with a double down the left field line, and Karpowicz followed one batter later with a home run over the wall in left field. The spree continued with a ground-rule two-RBI double to center by Caleb Estes, a two-run single to left by Nick Lundquist, and a RBI double off the bat of Trent Murchison.

The Rhinos pounded out seven extra-base hits for the game, including five doubles.

Lucas (2 hits, 3 RBIs), Karpowicz (3 hits, 3 RBIs, 3 runs scored) and Murchison (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) led the 11-hit attack.

True freshman starting pitcher Connor Frail was efficient in his debut for the Rhinos, throwing 21 strikes out of 28 pitches over three innings and allowing one hit. Landon Carr turned in two innings of hitless relief.

Off to a 3-0 start, Gaston College faces stiffer competition next weekend against Walters State Community College, which is ranked in the Top 10 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I poll.

"It's a tough task, but also a chance to see where we are," Doty said of the upcoming series. "We are playing the No. 4 or No. 5 ranked team in the country, and we are in the top 15."