Gaston College splits doubleheader with Florence-Darlington Tech to open Region 10 schedule

Gaston College got a lesson in how being a defending league champion makes you the target of your rivals in Friday afternoon's Region 10 Division I-opening doubleheader against Florence-Darlington Tech.

After a thrilling late-inning rally that gave the Rhinos a 7-6 victory in Friday's opener at Gastonia's CaroMont Health Park, Gaston College was shutout 2-0 in the nightcap.

"Honestly, they dominated us for 12 of the 14 innings we played," Rhinos coach Mike Steuerwald said. "We've just got to be better at doing the little things and we weren't today. We didn't play good defense and we didn't run the bases all that well. Those are things you have to be better at.
"So we've just got to show up with a little more urgency at the start."

Florence-Darlington Tech (14-7), just two weeks removed from a doubleheader sweep of Region 17 power Georgia Military, led 3-0, 5-2 and 6-3 in the opener before Gaston College's four-run seventh inning gave them a dramatic victory.

The Rhinos scored all four runs with two out in the bottom of the frame as Kendall Bradshaw hit a two-run single, Emma Ghorley drew a walk, Skye Harrington drove in the tying run and Alayna Patrick drew a walk before pinch-hitter Logan Lilly's game-winning RBI single drove in pinch-runner Rebecca Clark with the game-winner.

Ghorley picked up her first collegiate win with 1 1/3 innings in relief of starter Abigail Gawlinski.

In the nightcap, Florence-Darlington Tech pitcher Alex Steen fired a two-hitter, wriggled out of a fifth-inning jam and allowed only two baserunners to reach scoring position.

A two-out, two-run home run in the sixth was the difference for the Stingers and made Abigail Brewton a hard-luck loser in a five-hitter with seven strikeouts.

"I don't think we played very well all day outside of that one inning where we made that comeback," Steuerwald said. "We talked about how everyone is going to give us their best shot when you win conference like we did last year.
"I think you could see the energy and intensity that came from the other side today. We've got to be ready to match that right away."

Gaston College, which has received votes in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll the last two weeks, returns to action with a challenging schedule next week - an 11 a.m. Region 10 doubleheader at USC Sumter on Monday, a 2 p.m. home doubleheader against Gordon State and a 1 p.m. doubleheader at East Georgia State on March 16.