No. 23 Gaston College softball opens season with DH sweep of No. 1-ranked Division III team

Gaston College's softball team celebrated its first national ranking with a doubleheader sweep over defending national champion Patrick & Henry Community College on Friday afternoon at Gastonia's blustery and chilly CaroMont Health Park.

The Rhinos overcome a huge early deficit to win 10-8 in the opener, then cruised to an 11-2 win in the nightcap over the Patriots on a wind-blown day with wind chill temperatures in the 30s.

Gaston College earlier this week had been No. 23 in the preseason National Junior College Athletic Association Division I poll for the school's first-ever softball national ranking.

Friday's opponent, Patrick & Henry, is the defending Division III national champion and was No. 1 in that division's preseason poll.

"They're a great ballclub," Steuerwald said of Patrick & Henry. "They're the defending national champs and their two starters are D1 pitchers.
"We just found a way to bounce back and get after them. Our hitters up and down the lineup did a great job of staying in the zone and swinging at good pitches."

In the opener, the visiting Patriots used a fielding error and a three-run home run in the top of the first inning to take a quick 5-0 lead.

But just as quickly as the visitors had taken the lead, the Rhinos rallied to take it back in emphatic fashion with an eight-run first inning on their own highlighted by back-to-back-to-back-to-back RBI hits by Katelyn Brandon (double), Mary Hinson (triple), Kendall Bradshaw (double) and Sarah Johnson (single).

Later, after Patrick & Henry tied the score at 8 in the top of the sixth inning, the Rhinos took the victory after Grace Kealy's hard hit grounder was misplayed by the Patriots as two runs came in to account for the final score.

Johnson (3 hits, triple, 1 RBI) and Bradshaw (2 hits, double, 1 RBI) led Gaston College's 10-hit offense and reliever Savanna Mullins picked up the victory with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit, four-strikeout relief.

"Mullins, pitching in her college debut, with runners at first and third and the second and third getting back-to-back strikeouts in the sixth inning was huge," Steuerwald said. "And the offense did a great job responding after falling into that 5-0 hole."

In the nightcap, the visitors took a 2-1 lead after 1 1/2 innings before sophomore pitcher Abigail Brewton held them scoreless the rest of the way and the offense came alive behind Grace Kealy's two-run home run and game-ending grand slam to end the game by the mercy rule.

Brewton finished with a three-hitter in five innings with two strikeouts. Kealy (2 hits, 2 home runs, 7 RBIs), McKenna Jones (2 hits, double, 1 RBI), Brandon (2 hits, 1 RBI), Alayna Patrick (2 hits, 1 RBI) and Hinson (2 hits, double, 1 RBI) led a 13-hit offensive attack.

The Rhinos return to action on Sunday for a noon doubleheader at Gastonia's CaroMont Health Park against Caldwell Tech, which was No. 3 in the NJCAA Division III preseason poll.

"I told this group I was proud of them for our ranking," Steuerwald said. "It says alot about how hard this group has worked and, obviously, the alumni before them and the foundation they have laid and the respect we've gotten nationally.
"We told this year's team at practice that they should enjoy the recognition but they've got to work and teams are going to give us their best shot."