Durschlag walk off home run lifts Gaston College to 30th victory of the season

Even with Gaston College's nationally-ranked baseball team trailing for the first time of what became a 3 1-2 hour marathon on Tuesday afternoon, Rhinos left fielder and leadoff batter Konni Durschlag was confident.

Slated to hit third in the bottom of the ninth inning, Durschlag had a simple message for the batter ahead of him in the inning.

"I told Miller (St. John) to get on and I'ld bring us home," Durschlag said.

Did he ever as Durschlag's 2-run walk off home run lifted Gaston College to a 12-11 victory and set off a home plate celebration at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park.

"It's the most meangingful one for sure," Durschalag said when asked if it was his first walk off hit. "And it definitely came at a good time. I'm just glad we got the win."

In an effort its head coach Shohn Doty called "ugly," the Rhinos led 4-1, 6-1 and 10-5 before the visiting Patriots (13-8) rallied with five runs in the eighth to tie the score at 10 and once in the ninth to take an 11-10 advantage.

But Gaston College finished strong for its 30th victory of the season.

"It was good to the fight in our team," said Doty, whose team is ranked No. 11 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I poll, No. 7 in thejbb.net poll and No. 8 in the Dream Big Athletics poll. "We're pretty good at home and we needed to defend our homefield. There's a reason good teams find a way to win ugly."

Durschlag, who has committed to play at High Point University next season, reached base five times with a double, home run, three RBIs and five runs scored.

J.D. Yakubinis (2 hits, 1 RBI), Andrew Muraco (2 hits, double), Matthew Dobson (2 hits, double, 1 RBI), Wade Kelly (double, 2 RBIs) and Trey Truitt (double, 2 RBIs) were other standouts in the Rhinos' 11-hit offensive attack.

Doty was concerned with his bullpen after Derek Vartanian started and went three innings yielding two hits, one run and striking out three. Gaston College's six relievers combined to yield nine hits, six walks and two hit batters in six innings.

"From a pitching perspective, it's probably as bad as we've been all year," Doty said. "We couldn't throw strikes."

But Durschlag helped overcome the bullpen struggles when hit he rapped a 3-1 pitch over the fence in right center field after St. John had a one-out single to left field.

"Honestly, I was sitting on a fastball," Durschlag said. "He gave me one fastball that I fouled off. Then he gave me another one and I hit it like I wanted to. I was up there looking to do damage."

Gaston College (30-3) return to Region 10 Division I action this weekend with 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders at Spartanburg Methodist.