Nationally-ranked Gaston College wins sixth straight victory on Saturday afternoon

Nationally-ranked Gaston College used a workmanlike effort to take its sixth straight victory with a 13-3 win over Pro5 Academy on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park.

The Rhinos (15-2), ranked No. 14 in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason poll and as high as No. 3 in a poll earlier this week, took an early lead and trailed 2-1 after 3 1/2 innings before erupting for five runs in the fourth, two more in the fifth and five in the sixth to help end the game by the 10-run mercy rule.

"I thought we played pretty well," Gaston College head coach Shohn Doty said. "We put some good swings on the ball offensively. And we put a lot of guys on the mound and got good results from them."

Pro5 Academy is comprised of high school players and many NCAA Division I signees as the Rhinos faced pitchers who have signed at Georgia Tech, Old Dominion and Charlotte.

Seth Christmas (3 hits, double, 2 home runs, 5 RBIs), Brandon Crabtree (3 hits, 3 RBIs), Trent Murchison (3 hits), Caleb Estes (2 hits, home run, 2 RBIs), Trevor Lucas (2 hits, double, home run, 1 RBI), Andrew Muraco (2 hits, 1 RBI) and Justin Smith (2 hits) led a 17-hit offense.

And starter Mason Smith (2 innings) and relievers Isaac Williams (1 inning), Clayton Sherwood (1 inning), Shane Thorson (2 innings) and J.J. DeVos (1 inning) combined on a four-hitter with Sherwood getting credit for the victory.

Mason Smith and Thorson each had three strikeouts in their two-inning efforts with Mason Smith retiring all six batters he faced.

Crabtree had RBI singles in the first, fourth and sixth innings and Christmas had a three-run double in the fourth and a two-run home run in the sixth to spark those big innings.

"We playing well right now and we want to continue playing well and protect our home field," said Doty, whose team plays again on Wednesday at 2 p.m. against Catawba Valley Community College.