Nationally-ranked Gaston College splits doubleheader, moves within one victory of two milestones

Gaston College's nationally-ranked baseball team split a doubleheader on Saturday with Catawba Valley Community College at Hickory's Henkel-Alley Field as the Rhinos moved within one victory a pair of milestones.

Gaston College won 8-4 in the opener before losing 8-6 in the nightcap.

The Rhinos (39-5, 29-4), who have already clinched the Region 10 Division II Western Division title, can pick up a 40th overall victory and 30th league victory in Sunday's noon game that closes out the three-game series. Gaston College is ranked No. 2 in one National Junior College Athletic Association poll and No. 3 in two others.

No Region 10 team has ever won 30 league games in a season.

"We haven't lost a series all year and that's still our goal," Gaston College coach Shohn Doty said. "So we know we need a win on Sunday to make sure we win this series."

In Saturday's opener, starting pitcher Gus Hughes improved to 8-0 on the season with 6 1-3 innings of five-hit ball with nine strikeouts. Chandler Riley and Enrique Wood had two hits and one RBI apiece to lead a nine-hit offense.

The Rhinos scored five runs in the second inning and never trailed against the Red Hawks. It was Gaston College's 19th inning this season in which it has scored five or more runs - and first since April 10.

"We had five early in the game and that was our first really big inning in a long time," Doty said. "We carried that momentum into the second game but they scored in five straight innings. It's hard to win that way."

In the nightcap, Gaston College scored four times in the first inning before Catawba Valley Community College started its five-inning scoring streak to rally for the win.

Riley led the Rhinos' seven-hit offense with two more hits.

On the day, Riley had four hits, Wood, Konni Durschlag, Ahmir Cournier, Miller St. John and Trenton Snyder had two hits apiece.