Gaston College one win away from Region 10 softball title

Gaston College is one win away from history after edging Monroe, N.Y., College 2-0 on Friday.

The Rhinos can wrap up their first National Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 tournament championship with one more victory on Saturday. Gaston College plays at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of Saturday morning's 11 a.m. game. And even if the Rhinos lose at 1:30 p.m., they will get another chance at the Region 10 title at 4 p.m.

"It's always fun when you're playing for a championship," said Gaston College coach Mike Steuerwald, whose team improved its record to 40-8 on the season. "Today was an intense game and we were happy to win it."

The Rhinos were victorious because of recently-named Region 10 player and pitcher of the year Brantleigh Parrott's shutout pitching and an offense that manufactured both of its runs without the benefit of a hit.

Parrott improved her pitching record to 21-0 with her ninth shutout of the season. She struck out 13, yielded two hits and two walks and no Monroe runner got as far as second base.

Gaston College catcher Gracie Brown erased two runners trying to steal in the fifth inning and Parrott picked off a runner on first base in the seventh.

Offensively, Asheton Queen scored in the third inning on a wild pitch after reaching first on a fielding error and stealing second and third base and Parrott scored in the sixth on Grace Manning's sacrifice RBI bunt after reaching on a walk, advancing to second on a walk to Serena Yalich and moving up to third on a fielding error.

Brown had Gaston College's lone hit on a bunt single in the fifth inning.

"We told the team that after that game you should feel exhausted," Steuerwald said. "We're in a good spot obviously having to win just one. But we've got to finish the deal."

Another Rhinos wins advances the team into the May 12-13 National Junior College Athletic Association Mid-Atlantic District tournament at Central Alabama CC in Alexander City, Ala.

Here are the full Region 10 championship pairings and results for the tournament being played at Pine Grove Complex, Lexington, S.C.:

(Thursday, May 4)
Game 1: No. 4 Spartanburg Methodist (19-23) vs. No. 5 Florence Darlington Tech (23-18) - Florence Darlington Tech 7-6
Game 2: No. 3 Harford, Md. (25-6) vs. No. 6 Monroe, N.Y. (26-22) - Monroe 4-0
Game 3: No. 2 USC Union (19-22) vs. No. 7 USC Sumter (2-26) - USC Union 20-12 in 6
Game 4: No. 1 Gaston College (38-8) vs. Florence Darlington Tech - Gaston College 7-1
Game 5: Monroe, N.Y. vs. USC Union - Monroe 6-1

(Friday, May 5)
Game 6: Harford, Md. vs. USC Sumter - Harford 6-4 (USC Sumter eliminated)
Game 7: Spartanburg Methodist vs. USC Union - USC Union 4-3 (Spartanburg Methodist eliminated)
Game 8: Florence Darlington Tech vs. Harford, Md. - Florence Darlington Tech 10-1 (Harford eliminated)
Game 9: Gaston College vs. Monroe, N.Y. - Gaston College 2-0
Game 10: USC Union vs. Florence Darlington Tech - USC Union 7-2

(Saturday, May 6)
Game 11: Monroe, N.Y. vs. USC Union, 11 a.m. Field 1
Game 12: Gaston College vs. Game 11 winner, 1:30 p.m. Field 1
Game 13 (if necessary): If Game 9 winner loses in Game 12, 4 p.m. Field 1