Gaston College offense, pitching help Rhinos improve to 10-0 on the season

Gaston College had its eighth double-digit scoring offense of the baseball season on Tuesday in a 15-5, 7-inning victory over Catawba Valley Community College at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park.

"The offense kinda got untracked a bit," said Rhinos coach Shohn Doty, whose team improved to 10-0 on the season. "We've got a couple of starters out with injuries so it's the time of the year where if you're going to have injuries, you want it to be now so you can develop some depth.
"We played a different lineup and they did a good job."

In a game where Gaston College was the designated road team against one of its closest rivals by proximity, the Rhinos erupted for seven runs in the second inning and never trailed. It was the sixth inning of five or more runs in so far this year.

David Nicks (3 hits, double, 1 RBI), Kandan Zollo (2 hits, 1 RBI), Joey Nicholson (double, 5 RBIs), Koy Swanson (home run, 2 RBIs) and Tyler Cook (double, 2 RBIs) led Gaston College's nine-hit offense that ended the game by the mercy rule after seven innings.

On the mound, starter and winner Jack Aurelius (2 1/3 innings) and relievers Cooper Phillips (1/3 inning), Zach Kimmel (2 1/3 innings), Chase Ghantt (1 inning) and Jake Casey (1 inning) combined on a seven-hitter.

"I think we're developing that group," Doty said. "Right now it's about building depth and getting the right guys in the right spots whether that's the rotation or in relief."

The Rhinos, who received votes in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason poll, returns to action with a four-game weekend series - doubleheaders at 1 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday against Sussex County Community College of New Jersey at Sims Legion Park.