Gaston College softball opens 2023 regular season on Wednesday at St. Andrews
Gaston College's second-year softball program will take some momentum into its Wednesday regular season opener.
The Rhinos, who are eligible for national competition as a National Junior College Athletic Association Division I team, split a doubleheader with 4-year Belmont Abbey College's Developmental Team on Monday.
In their final tuneup before Wednesday's noon doubleheader at 4-year St. Andrews University, the Rhinos lost 9-7 in the opener then rallied to force extra innings before taking a 5-4 walkoff win at Gastonia's CaroMont Health Park that will be Gaston College's home field this season.
The Rhinos were a club team last under head coach Mike Steuerwald and have a roster of two returnees and 13 newcomers this season as they'll begin NJCAA Division I competition.
Steuerwald told his team to have the highest of expectations - namely a national championship - when preseason drills began last month.
In Monday's doubleheader, seven fielding errors marred the opener before returnee Serena Yalich and newcomers Gabrielle Porterfield and Brantliegh Parrott sparked the come-from-behind win in the nightcap.
"We've just got to play better," Steuerwald said after the opener. "Seven errors from the infield is not going to win any game. I challenged the infield after the game to do better. We've got to execute routine plays better."
In the nightcap, Gaston College had no errors in the field but still trailed Belmont Abbey 4-2 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Yalich then hit a two-out, two-run double to knot the score at 4. And after Parrott completed an impressive 2 1-3 inning relief effort highlighted by five strikeouts, Porterfield hit a 1-out walkoff RBI single.
""We did a much better job in the second game," Steuerwald said. "Our infield really stepped up to my challenge and played clean. After the first inning, Tessa pitched well. It was great to have Serena come up with a clutch hit in the 7th. We're going to need her to get rolling, especially protecting Jailyn in the batting order."
Parrott is slated to handle the dual role of centerfield and relief ace while Yalich, a top pitcher last season, will play in the infield this season and Porterfield is an outfielder.
Others expected to hold down large roles were on display Monday as shortstop Jailyn Tineo went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs, second baseman Logan Lilly had two hits and one RBI and starting pitchers Amiya Tomlinson and Tessa Hunt went 6 1-3 innings and 5 1-3 innings, respectively, as starters.
Yalich had two hits and two RBIs, Parrott had three hits and one RBI and threw 3 1-3 scoreless innings of relief and Porterfield had team-highs of four hits and three RBIs.
Other starters were third baseman-catcher Asheton Queen, left field-third baseman Haylee Salter, right fielder Grace Manning, first baseman Kinsey Johnson and catcher Graceie Brown.
"We'll have some shifting with our lineups," Steuerwald said. "We want to get bats into the lineup - and that might move some players around."
After Wednesday's doubleheader, the Rhinos host their regular season home opener with a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader against Patrick & Henry of Martinsville, Va.