Nationally-ranked Gaston College rolls past Southwest Virginia in opener of 3-game series

After its first two-game losing streak of the season, Gaston College coach Shohn Doty thought his team was played anxiously on Friday night at Sims Legion park as it pursued getting back in the win column.

It took a couple of innings, but the offensive swagger returned with a pair of back-to-back four-run innings that ended Friday's game against visiting Southwest Virginia Community College by the 10-run mercy rule.

A three-run single by Chandler Riley ended the game with a 10-0 Rhinos' victory and gave Gaston College righthander Gus Hughes his third shutout of the season.

"I'll be honest, early tonight I thought we were pressing a little bit," said Rhinos' coach Shohn Doty, whose team is ranked in the top three of all three National Junior College Athletic Association polls. "Fortunately we've never been in this situation before but the guys felt really good to stop that losing streak."

Gaston College (34-4 overall, 24-3 Region 10 West Division) continued moving closer to a regular season title as four players had two or more hits and Hughes struck out nine in a two-hit effort. Konni Durschlag (3 hits, 2 RBIs), J.D. Yakubinis (3 hits, 2 RBIs, double), Riley (2 hits, 3 RBIs), Miller St. John (2 hits, 1 RBI) and Ahmir Cournier (1 hit, 2 RBIs) led a 13-hit offense in the Rhinos' 11th win by mercy rule this season.

"Gus just keeps putting zeroes and we're focused on hitting the ball batter and getting our offense going again," Doty said. "The big thing now is to finish out the series and keep pursuing our goal of 40 wins and a division title."

Gaston College, which has 11 games left in the regular season, hosts Southwest Virginia again today in a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Rhinos then host Cleveland Community College next Wednesday in a 4 p.m. doubleheader before visiting Catawba Valley Community College next weekend in a three-game series.