No. 21 Gaston College rolls to DH sweep as it prepares for big Region 10 series this weekend

No. 21-ranked Gaston College's baseball team recorded a doubleheader sweep over the Carolina Blue Claws at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park on Tuesday to improve to 26-8-1 on the season.

The Rhinos won 12-2 in five innings by the "mercy" rule in the opener and 10-3 in the second game to give them 11 wins in their last 12 games.

"Overall, it was a good day," Gaston College coach Shohn Doty said. "We're just searching for that overall level of consistency.
"When we play well, we tend to score early in games and add to the lead. When we don't, we go through some long droughts offensively. So we've got to figure that out."

Three pitchers led by starter and winner Drake Purvis (3 innings, 5 strikeouts) combined on a four-hitter in the opener. And five pitchers led by reliever and winner Travis Smith (3 innings, 4 strikeouts) combined on a four-hitter in the nightcap.

Gaston College's offense combined for 19 hits and was led by Brandon Crabtree (6 hits, 3 doubles, 2 RBIs), Joey Nicholson (3 hits, home run, 3 RBIs), Jackson Toberman (2 hits, home run, 4 RBIs) and David Nicks (2 hits, double, home run, 6 RBIs).

The Rhinos next play No. 17 Florence Darlington Tech in a matchup of the two top programs in Region 10's Division I. It'll open with a 4 p.m. single game on Friday and a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday with all three games played at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park.

Gaston College (26-8-1, 10-5) is in second place of the division standings, trailing only the Stingers (26-7, 13-2). Florence Darlington Tech won two games out of three at home against the Rhinos last month.

"We've just got to be more consistent," Doty said. "The goal is to win every series. And this weekend is a big weekend for us if we want to accomplish what we've set out to accomplish.
"We're having a good year but I still think our best baseball is ahead of us."