Gaston College offense erupts in final game before Region 10 play starts this weekend

An early deficit was no match for Gaston College's season-high offensive output in Tuesday's 21-9 Rhinos' victory at Brunswick Community College.

Gaston College, ranked No. 13 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I poll, improved to 20-2 in its final game before it starts Region 10 league play with a four-game weekend series at USC Sumter.

"It didn't start real pretty," Rhinos coach Shohn Doty said. "We were down 6-1. But then we scored in every inning but the first and the last."

The 21 runs and 20 hits were season-highs for Gaston College, which has reached double figures in 12 of its 22 games this season.

Fifteen players contributed to the uprising, with 12 of them collecting at least one hit and the other three all reached base at least once.

"I thought last Saturday was the best we had swung the bats all year," Doty said of a 13-3 home win over Pro5 Academy. "And that carried over into today. And up and down the lineup. We had really good at-bat after really good at-bat."

J.D. Yakubinis (4 hits, double, 4 RBIs), Konni Durschlag (2 hits, double, 4 RBIs), Andrew Muraco (2 hits, 1 RBI), Pierson Gunnell (2 hits, double, 2 RBIs), Miller St. John (2 hits), Enrique Wood (2 hits, 3 RBIs) and Trey Truitt (home run, 3 RBIs) led the offense.

Down 6-1 after two innings, Gaston College took a 7-6 after the top of the fifth inning and built a 21-8 lead after the top of the eighth.

"We fell behind but we didn't panic," Doty said. "We kept hitting and caught up and took the lead. The offense was just dynamic all day."

After starter Hunter Shew was relieved after 1 2-3 innings, reliever Alex Jankowski went the next 3 1-3 innings to pick up the victory. Relievers David Sande (2 innings), Darrell Johnson (1 inning), Antwan Walton (1-3 inning) and Landon Carr (2-3 inning) closed out the win.

Gaston College's four-game Region 10 opening series will be played on Saturday and Sunday in 1 p.m. doubleheaders.