Gaston College opens 2023 season with impressive doubleheader sweep

Before last season, Gaston College's championship-winning baseball program had never recorded a no-hitter.

On Sunday in the Rhinos' 2023 season-opening doubleheader sweep of Roane State, Tennessee, Gaston College got five no-hit innings from its opening game starter and a combined no-hitter from its three pitchers in the nightcap.

In all, the Rhinos outscored the visiting Raiders 20-0 in a pair of 10-0 mercy rule-shortened victories and yielded only one hit in 11 innings.

"It was definitely a good start," said Gaston College coach Shohn Doty, whose team went 41-9 last season in its first season fielding a team since 1972 and received votes in last week's National Junior College Athletic Association Division I preseason poll. "We threw five guys today and everybody was sharp. And we were opportunistic and our approach was really good offensively."

J.D. Everett, a sophomore left-hander from Hickory who has signed with UNC Wilmington, set the tone with five strikeouts in five innings while facing the minimum 15 batters; Roane State reached on a throwing error to lead off the third inning but Everett picked that runner off first base.

"It's a great first start and glad to be back," Everett said. "It's what I expected. I just had to go out and work hard and pitch my game."

Roane State led off the sixth inning with a single off reliever Derek Vartanian before Vartanian struck out the next three batters.

Gaston College's offense ended the game by the 10-run rule in the bottom of the sixth innings on Konni Durschlag's one out sacrifice fly.

Durschlag, Preston Hall and Enrique Wood had two hits apiece to lead the Rhinos' 10-hit offense in the opener and Durschlag had four RBIs and Freddie Oliver two. The Rhinos' scored five runs in the first inning before adding four in the third and the game-ender in the sixth.

In the nightcap, three pitchers - starter Nolan Straniero and relievers Kyle McKernan and Sawyer Sutton - combined on the school's second no-hitter by combining for eight strikeouts, two hit batters and one walk in five innings.

Straniero, a sophomore who has signed with Elon, went three innings with four strikeouts.

Gus Hughes, now at High Point, pitched the school's first no-hitter in its history on March 26, 2022 in a 9-0, seven-inning victory over Wake Tech.

Gaston College had a baseball program from 1968 to 1972 with titles in the last four years and two one-hitters.

In Sunday's nightcap, the Rhinos scored nine times in the first inning and tallied what proved to be the game-winner in the third.

Wake Kelly and Andrew Muraco had two hits apiece to lead the eight-hit attack and Muraco had three RBIs and Hall and Wood two each.

Gaston College returns to action next weekend with doubleheaders on Saturday against Southeastern Community College and Sunday against Walters State, Tennessee. Both doubleheaders start at 1 p.m. and Walters State is ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA preseason poll after advancing to the Division I World Series last season.