Gaston College rallies to stay alive in NJCAA East District tournament, will play for title on Sunday

After opening the day with disappointment, Gaston College's baseball program ended Saturday with the exhilaration of knowing they will be playing for a National Junior College Athletic Association East District title on Sunday.

Preston Hall's 2-out, 2-run RBI single completed a comeback from a 6-3 deficit for an 8-7 victory over Harford, Md., in a Saturday night elimination game at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park.

The Rhinos (47-11) will need two wins on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. against Florence Darlington Tech (50-11) for the East District title that carries with it a berth in the May 27-June 3 NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Col.

"We've been resilient all year," said Gaston College coach Shohn Doty, whose team is ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA poll. "We played awful this morning. That's no secret. Then we came back and got behind. But these kids don't want the season to end. And we're in the Eastern District finals. We're two games away from the World Series.
"I think we'll give it a great effort and we'll see what happens. I'm just so proud of our fight tonight."

Gaston College had lost 12-4 to Florence Darlington Tech in the winner's bracket final that started at 11 a.m. Saturday before its come-from-behind win over Harford kept the Rhinos' season alive.

First baseman Preston Hall drove in three of the last five runs, including what proved a decisive 2-run, 2-out single in the eighth inning.

"The adrenaline was there for sure," Hall said. "I just tried to take a couple of deep breaths. I had a tough first game so I tried to settle in for the second game and give it all I had. The season was on the line and it could've been the last time with some of these players.
"I had to lay it all out there. I tried to get a good swing and put it up the middle. I didn't try to do too much. I just stayed simple."

Hall's RBI single in the in the seventh closed a 6-3 deficit to 6-4 before Seth Christmas hit a 2-run, 2-out single to knot the score at 6.

In the eighth, Wade Kelly drew a 1-out walk and Adam Quintero hit a 1-out single. After a double steal on a strikeout for the second out, Hall's single up the middle broke the tie and gave the Rhinos an 8-6 lead.

Gaston College still had to hold off a Harford rally to secure the victory.

The Owls, who finished 35-18-1, hit a leadoff home run and had the potential tying run on second after a 1-out double before top starting pitcher Derek Vartanian came on to strike out the last two batters to clinch the victory.

"What can you say about Derek," Doty said of Vartanian, who was named a first team All-Region 10 pitcher. "He may not have won the pitcher of the year but in my mind he is the pitcher of the year. He came through for us again."

Hall (3 hits, 3 RBIs), Christmas (2 hits, double, 2 RBIs), Quintero (2 hits, home run, 1 RBI) and Trey Truitt (2 hits, home run, 1 RBI) led the Rhinos' 14-hit offense.

In the opener, Region 10 regular season champion Florence Darlington Tech scored the game's first five runs before taking the win by the 8-run mercy rule in the eighth. The Stingers, ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA poll, had 11 hits, drew three walks and two hit batters and took advantage of three Gaston College fielding errors.

Gaston College, the designated visiting team, closed within 5-2 in the top of the fourth and 8-4 in the top of the eighth before four runs in the eighth to close out the victory.

Konni Durschlag (2 hits, double), Truitt (2-run home run) and Quintero (RBI single) led the Rhinos' 5-hit offense in the loss.

Daily admission to the Eastern District tournament is $15 and children 5 and under are free. Gaston College students can get free admission with a Gaston College issued ID or class registration. Gaston College faculty and staff can get free admission with their staff ID or college name badge and families of staff and faculty will still have to pay admission).

Here's the full schedule for the 2020 NJCAA Eastern District tournament at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park:

(Friday, May 12)
Game 1: No. 2 Harford, Md. (34-16-1) vs. No. 3 Florence Darlington Tech (48-11) - Florence Darlington Tech 6-5 in 11
Game 2: No. 1 Gaston College (45-10) vs. No. 4 Potomac State, W.Va. (30-16) - Gaston College 5-3
(Saturday, May 13)
Game 3: Florence Darlington Tech vs. Gaston College - Florence Darlington Tech 12-4 in 8
Game 4: Harford, Md. vs. Potomac State, W.Va. - Harford 5-0
Game 5: Gaston College vs. Harford, Md. - Gaston College 8-7
(Sunday, May 14)
Game 6: Florence Darlington Tech vs. Gaston College, 1 p.m.
Game 7 (if necessary): Game 6 winner if it's Gaston College, 45 minutes after Game 6 ends