Gaston College sweep clinches Region 10 West Division title

A comeback rally in the opener and a shutout win the nightcap allowed the first-year Gaston College baseball program to clinch the Region 10 West Division title Wednesday night at Sims Legion Park with a doubleheader sweep of Cleveland Community College.

The Rhinos improved to 38-4 overall and 28-3 in the division after winning 4-3 on Enrique Wood's walkoff two-out single in the bottom on the ninth in the opener and 2-0 in the nightcap as starter Christian Baker and relievers Marlowe Iorio and Konni Durschlag combined on a 3-hitter.

"It's a huge accomplishment for our program," said Gaston College coach Shohn Doty, whose team clinches the title with four divisional games left on its schedule. "For us, it's about creating a legacy. We talked all year long about how we weren't a traditional first-year program and we never acted like a first-year program.
"The level of expectation for our program, which is win a championship - and that's what we did."

Wood's game-winning single capped a rally from a 3-1 deficit after 7 1-2 innings as the Rhinos scored once in the eighth and twice in the ninth.

A throwing error allowed the run to score in the eighth and Chandler Riley started the ninth-inning rally with a leadoff home run. Ahmir Cournier reached on an infield hit and advanced to third on a pair of throwing errors before Patrick Hogan reached first when he was hit by a pitch with two outs.

Wood then delivered his second walkoff hit of the season with a sharp single to left field; Wood's previous walkoff winner came on April 2 of a 4-3 win over Patrick & Henry Community College.

The late rally made a winner of Gaston College's fourth pitcher of the opener as Hunter Shew had pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

In the nightcap, Baker made his first pitching start of the season and went four scoreless innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts before Iorio (two innings, four strikeouts) and Durschlag (one inning, one strikeout) closed out the victory.

Doty's only frustration was that centerfielder Wade Kelly was unable to play or even watch the championship clincher in the nightcap when umpires ruled he slid into the Cleveland Community College catcher in the eighth inning of the opener.

"I'm really disappointed Wade Kelly wasn't able to be a part of the second game," Doty said. "I don't think he did anything wrong. But that was the decision the umpires made."

Gaston College returns to action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Catawba Valley Community College.