Gaston College bounces back with doubleheader sweep of Catawba Valley Community College

One day after suffering their first loss of the season, the Gaston College Rhinos were challenged by head coach Shohn Doty to respond on Sunday.

Did they ever.

Dominant pitching led the Rhinos to a doubleheader sweep of Catawba Valley Community College by scores of 10-0 and 3-1 at Gastonia's CaroMont Health Park.

"I felt the character of the team would be revealed today - and it was," Doty said. "We haven't had much adversity this season and we got hammered yesterday and needed to respond."

Sunday's results give Gaston College a 21-1 overall record, a 14-1 Region 10 record and a commanding lead in the Western Division at the midpoint of the league schedule.

On Saturday, Catawba Valley Community College had snapped a 2-all tie with 17 runs in the last three innings of a 19-4 victory in the opener of the three-game series that stopped the Rhinos' season-opening winning streak at 19 games.

The two Sunday wins give the Rhinos a series victory.

"That's a really good team that we played today," said Gaston College coach Shohn Doty, whose team was ranked in the top 10 of all three National Junior College Athletic Association Division II polls. "To hold them to one run all day says something about our pitching staff."

On Sunday, Gaston College leadoff batter Konni Durschlag hammered the first pitch he saw for a long home run and the Rhinos never looked back in a 10-0 victory in the opener that was shortened to six innings by the 10-run mercy rule.

Durschlag (three hits, double, home run, three RBIs), Hayden Brandon (three hits, double, three RBIs) and J.D. Yakubinis (two-run double) led a 12-hit offense.

The offense was more than enough for left-hander J.D. Everett, who struck out six in a two-hit shutout that improved him to 4-0 this season.

"J.D. pitched as well as he's pitched all year," Doty said.

In the nightcap, Durschlag reached on an error in the bottom of the first inning and he scored on Ahmir Cournier's RBI single that gave the Rhinos another early lead. Durschlag, who reached five times in seven plate appearances, also closed out the win with a scoreless seventh inning of relief.

That final inning was aided by a double play throw from centerfielder Wade Kelly to gun down a runner trying to reach third base after tagging up on a fly ball.

Durschlag's effort made a winner of starter Marlowe Iorio, who went four innings with three strikeouts and yielded two hits and two walks. Another reliever, Christian Baker, also was impressive with four strikeouts in two innings.

Gaston College returns to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. at USC Lancaster before hosting USC Lancaster next Sunday at 2 p.m. in the first game this season at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park that will become the Rhinos' permanent home field.