No. 12 Gaston College offense stays hot in another DH sweep

Gaston College's softball team continued to set records as they team kept racking up victories on Monday afternoon.

On a day the Rhinos were being ranked a school-best No. 12 in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll, Gaston College won 17-0 and 30-5 in a pair of five-inning games over host Pellissippi State, Tenn.

It was the fifth and sixth straight games the Rhinos have reached double figures and the 30-run total snaps a two-day-old school single game school scoring record set in Saturday's 28-0 victory over Florence Darlington Tech in the opener of a doubleheader sweep.

"Up and down the lineup our hitters have done just an incredible job of being patient and not chasing pitches," Gaston College coach Mike Steuerwald said. "We did a lot of great things up and down the lineup in both games."

The victory improved the Rhinos to 30-2 overall and gives the school its third straight 30-win season. It also extended Gaston College's winning streak to 10 games.

"The way we're putting up runs gives us a shot in any game we're playing," Steuerwald said.

On Monday, Sarah Johnson (5 hits, double, 7 RBIs), Mary Hinson (5 hits, 2 RBIs), Katelyn Brandon (4 hits, double, 8 RBIs), Arissa Duff (4 hits, double, 5 RBIs), Alayna Patrick (4 hits, double, 2 RBIs), Skye Harrington (3 hits, double, 4 RBIs), Grace Kealy (3 hits, double, 1 RBI),
Savanna Price (3 hits, 1 RBI), McKinley Matthews (3 hits, 1 RBI) and Chloe Young (2 hits, triple, 3 RBIs) led the Rhinos offense.

On the mound, Savanna Mullins threw a two-hitter with four strikeouts in the opener and Phoebe Cole (3 innings) and Courtney Grimmer combined on a six-hitter in the nightcap.

In the second game, Hinson had five hits to join Serena Yalich (2022 at Wake Tech), Gabrielle Porterfield (2023 vs. Spartanburg Methodist) and Emma Ghorley (2024 at Spartanburg Methodist) as school record-holders with five hits in a single game

Gaston College remains on the road on Tuesday for a doubleheader at Walters State that begins at 1 p.m.

"They've got a lot of history in that program and after we beat them twice, they're gonna to show out better," said Steuerwald, whose team beat the Senators 14-5 and 10-2 in a Feb. 25 doubleheader sweep at Gastonia's CaroMont Health Park. "Playing on the road is typically tougher anyway. We'll have to be ready to go tomorrow."