Lexington, KY – The Gastonia Baseball Club secured a 6-1 victory over the Lexington Legends Saturday night, thanks to a strong pitching performance by Ian McKinney and timely hitting, including homers from Dean Miller and Hidekel Gonzalez.
Ian McKinney pitched seven solid innings for Gastonia, allowing only one run on seven hits while striking out five. He was backed by John Creel, who pitched two scoreless innings to close the game, securing the win for McKinney, who improved to 3-0 on the season.
Lexington's starter Dustin Beggs struggled, giving up six runs (five earned) over 5.1 innings. Despite a relatively low hit count (six), Beggs walked four and allowed two home runs, which proved costly.
After a scoreless first four innings, Gastonia broke through in the fifth with three runs. Jake Gatewood's two RBI double in the fifth inning gave Gastonia a commanding lead. They added three more in the sixth with Dean Miller’s three-run homerun.
Lexington managed a lone run in the fifth inning when Korry Howell drove in a run, but the Legends couldn’t muster more offense against Gastonia’s strong pitching.
Lexington’s defense struggled, committing four. Gastonia played cleaner defense with only one error and turned a key double play to stifle a potential rally by the Legends.
The series closes out tomorrow with first pitch scheduled at 2:00 PM as Legends Field celebrates Princess Day. Get your tickets now a LexingtonLegends.com.