Gaston College baseball gets two milestone wins in one-run victory at Catawba Valley Community College

It was fitting that Gaston College reached the milestone of a 40-win season with the kind of clutch play that has sustained the team throughout its meteoric first season.

The Rhinos gutted out a 9-8 victory over Catawba Valley Community College Sunday at Henkel-Alley Field to take the weekend series 2-1 and boost their record to 40-5 overall and 30-4 in the West Division of Region 10.

Ranked No. 2 in one National Junior College Athletic Association poll and No. 3 in two others, Gaston College becomes the first Region 10 team to win 30 games. The series win also means the Rhinos won all 10 three-game Region 10 series this season.

In a game marked by momentum shifts, Gaston College on Sunday overcame a 12-9 deficit in total hits and three home runs by the Red Hawks. Late defensive plays and the ability to generate runs in different ways proved to be the key.

The Rhinos squeezed out a go-ahead run in the top of the ninth to break an 8-all tie, and made potential run-saving defensive plays in the bottom of that inning.

Ahmir Cournier, who went 4-for-5 with four RBIs for the game, reached on a one-out single to short right field, advanced on a wild pitch, took third on a fly ball to the outfield, and scored on an infield error.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Red Hawks collected two hits off Gaston College reliever Christian Baker, but the Rhinos' righthander battled through some fatigue to get the victory.

Baker was aided by two big plays from his defense. With one out, shortstop Enrique Wood ran down Jackie Jimenez's ground ball deep in the hole and threw to second base for a force out. The game then ended on an unusual play. Rhinos third baseman Chandler Riley got his glove on a ground ball that appeared to be spinning into foul territory. He picked up the ball bare-handed and threw to first in time to retire Jack Stevens for the third out.

"It started out foul and came back fair, and I kind of stuck with it," Riley said of the decisive play. "The ball had some weird spin on it, and it hit my glove. The runner seemed to stop, and after that I knew I had time to throw him out."

The Rhinos appeared to have the game under control after taking an 8-6 into the eighth inning. However, the Red Hawks' Reece Landmark hit a two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the eighth to knot the score. It was the second homer of the game for Landmark, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to pace CVCC.

Gaston College starter Konni Durschlag worked the first seven innings, giving up six runs on nine hits while striking out seven and walking one. Baker pitched two innings in relief.

Behind Cournier's 4-for-5 outing, J.D. Yakibinis went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, and Wade Kelly had two hits in five at-bats and drove in a run.

"This is the benchmark of what we started with," Gaston College coach Shohn Doty said. "We're not a typical first-year program. We set our goals to win 40 games and win a Region 10 West championship, and we got both of those things done."

Doty said the game was symbolic of the entire season.

"We're resilient," Doty said. "We just kept battling, putting balls in play, and doing whatever it took to get the job done."

The coach praised Durschlag's pitching in a starting role, and he pointed to the defensive work of shortstop Wood throughout the series.

"Konni has been lights out for us, always giving us a chance to win," Doty said ."And Enrique was sensational all weekend. He made a huge double play (Saturday), and then what he did today."

The Rhinos play again on Wednesday when they travel to Shelby for a 4 p.m. doubleheader against Cleveland Community College to close out their West Division schedule.