No. 1 Gaston College improves winning streak to 20 games with another DH sweep

No. 1 Gaston College's baseball team completed its second straight sweep of a four-game Region 10 series on Sunday with 7-6 and 21-10 victories at USC Lancaster.

The Rhinos, ranked No. 1 for the first time in history in any sport at the school last week, held off a late rally by the host Lancers to win the opener then erupted for a season-high in runs in the nightcap.

"From an offensive standpoint, we were unbelieveably good," said Gaston College coach Shohn Doty, whose team increased its winning streak to 20 games while improving to 29-2 overall and 8-0 in Region 10 Division I play. "We were really dialed in."

Starter and winner Connor Frail yieled six hits and four runs while striking out eight in five innings covering 67 pitches in the opener before relievers Isaac Williams (1/3 inning) and Landon Carr (1 2/3 innings, 2 strikeouts, save) closed out the win.

Ben Karpowicz had three hits and a school-record six RBIs to power the offense. Karpowicz tied Wade Kelly (2022) and Adam Quintero (2023) with six RBIs in a single game.

In the nightcap, starter and winner Wagner Morrissette (1 inning) and relievers Clayton Sherwood (2 2/3 innings) and J.J. DeVos (1 1/3 innings) handled mound duties while five players had two or more hits.

"The second game we had some pitching struggles but I have to give props to J.J. for how he can out of the bullpen to close it out for us," Doty said.

Brandon Crabtree (2 home runs, 5 RBIs), Trevor Lucas (double, home run, 3 RBIs), Seth Christmas (2 hits, 3 RBIs, home run), Caleb Estes (2 hits, 3 RBIs) and Trent Murchison (2 hits, 1 RBI) were the mulit-hit players and Karpowicz added a two-run home run in the third inning.

"We all know how good of a hitter Brandon Crabtree is and we gave him the first game off," Doty said. "We talk all the time about how do you respond. And when we got Crabby back in there, he put some really good swings on balls and it got contagious."

Karpowicz finished the doubleheader with four hits, eight RBIs, two home runs and a double to lead an offense that had 28 runs off 21 hits, 16 walks and six hit batters on Sunday.

Gaston College, ranked No. 2 in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll, has a busy week coming up as the Rhinos visit Catawba Valley Community College on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. and visit Patrick & Henry Community College on Wednesday at 3 p.m. before hosting Region 10 Division I rival USC Salkehatchie for 1 p.m. doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park.