Late game Yakubinis dramatics allow Gaston College to finish off unbeaten month

J.D. Yakubinis said he was "just trying to get a good pitch to hit" when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday with the score tied 8-all.

Then came the swing that is the fantasy of every player who puts on a uniform.

The Providence High School product hit a walk-off home run over the wall in left-center field to give Gaston College a 9-8 victory over Guilford Tech and a perfect 15-0 record in the month of February.

"I have never done that in my life," Yakubinis said of his game-winning shot. "I put a pretty good swing on it, and it ended up going over the fence. The Rhinos swept February."

The win on a cold, rainy day at Caromont Health Park in Gastonia gave Gaston College the sweep of a three-game weekend series and improved the Rhinos to 9-0 in Region 10 Division II play.

Rhinos coach Shon Doty said the come-from-behind win was a testament to the team's resilience and discipline.

"This is a resilient group," Doty said. "They absolutely think they are going to win. We have meshed a bunch of freshmen and transfers who have developed good camaraderie. It's a team that believes in each other."

The Rhinos' unbeaten run appeared to be in jeopardy after Guilford Tech (5-8, 3-3) sent 10 batters to the plate in the third inning and scored six runs with the aid of five hits.

However, Gaston College began to chip away at the 6-0 deficit, scoring twice in the second inning and three times in the fifth to trim the margin to one run. Ahmir Cournier delivered the big hit in the fifth with a two-RBI double into the corner in right field, pulling to Rhinos within 6-5.

Guilford Tech added two unearned runs in the top of the sixth on a dropped fly ball in right field. But the Rhinos answered with three in the bottom of the eighth, taking advantage of a pair of walks and a hit batter that chased Guilford starting left-hander Owen Kincaid.

Chandler Riley's two-out single drove in the tying run and set the stage the dramatic finish.

Riley, a first-year infielder from Cox Mill, went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Gaston College offense.

But in a game in which both pitching staffs struggled, the Rhinos' Christian Baker turned in a gem of a job in relief. The right-hander from Raleigh retired the side in order over the final three innings and struck out six.

"Baker was absolutely outstanding," Doty said. "He gave us three shutout innings with no traffic on the bases. That got our offense back and gave us the momentum we needed."

After sweeping the series with the Titans, the Rhinos have five days off to digest the extraordinary events of February.

"To go 15-0 in the month of February is something these kids will never forget," said Doty, whose team returns to action next Saturday for a three-game series at Southwest Virginia. "I have been doing this a long time and I have never been a part of anything like it. It has been a challenge, but I have to give credit to the players."