South Carolina baseball (12-9, 0-3 SEC) suffered its first series sweep of the season against No. 23 Florida (18-3, 3-0 SEC) in Gainesville, Florida, over the weekend.
Despite two great pitching performances from both starters on Friday and Saturday, the offense struggled against the Gators, finishing the weekend with 11 hits and three runs scored.
South Carolina drops opener in low-scoring pitching duel
South Carolina baseball fell 1-0 in 10 innings to Florida in the series opener Friday night at Condron Ballpark. The Gamecocks were limited to one hit in the loss despite a pitching performance that held the Gators to just two hits.
Both pitchers had strong performances on the mound, as the two combined for just three hits and 23 strikeouts across 10 innings. Florida’s pitching staff struck out 15 Gamecocks, while South Carolina pitchers recorded eight strikeouts.
Junior pitcher Josh Gunther made the start for the Gamecocks and delivered 6.1 hitless innings while striking out five batters and issuing three walks.
Gunther worked out of the jam with a groundout to keep the game scoreless, after he hit redshirt sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones with a pitch and walked sophomore infielder Brendan Lawson.
Junior pitcher Alex Valentin entered in relief in the seventh inning and allowed two walks, but kept Florida off the scoreboard, beforeJunior pitcher Brandon Stone took over just one inning later.
South Carolina’s offense was held to one hit across 33 at-bats while striking out 15 times. Fifth-year catcher Talmadge LeCroy recorded the Gamecocks’ only hit with a single in the fourth inning.
The Gamecocks created their best scoring opportunity in the ninth inning. Freshman infielder Will Craddock was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a passed ball before fifth-year designated hitter Logan Sutter and junior outfielder Patrick Evans each drew walks to load the bases with two outs. A fielder’s choice ended the inning and kept the game tied.
South Carolina finished the night 0-3 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.
Florida opened the bottom of the 10th inning with a double from Jones down the left-field line. Lawson was intentionally walked, and sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
After an intentional walk loaded the bases, freshman outfielder Cash Strayer lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that allowed Jones to score the winning run and secure the 1-0 victory for Florida.
Gamecock offense stalls, drops series to Gators
South Carolina dropped its second game against Florida 3-0 on Saturday night for the second series loss this season. This was the second straight night the Gamecocks were shut out by the Gators' pitching staff.
It was another pitcher’s duel in game two as junior right-hander Amp Phillips made the start on Saturday night and had three strikeouts and three walks, with the one run Phillips gave up being unearned.
For the Gators, sophomore Aidan King started and dominated the Gamecock batters in his six innings of work. King had nine strikeouts and only one walk in his outing.
Both teams remained knotted at zero for the first 3.5 innings of the game. Unlike last night, both teams had multiple hits within the first few innings, but left a combined eight runners on base through the first three innings.
The Gators took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning after redshirt freshman third baseman Kolt Myers walked and stole second with two outs. Myers scored off a routine fly-ball that was dropped by Evans in right field to give Florida the lead.
Sophomore right-hander Zach Russell entered the game in the seventh inning and inherited a runner on first with no outs. After a walk and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Florida, a sacrifice fly drove in another run to push the Gators out 2-0.
Another hit-by-pitch immediately loaded the bases again for Florida, with the second sacrifice fly of the inning giving the Gators a 3-0 advantage after seven innings.
With one out, Sophomore first baseman Beau Hollins doubled in the eighth inning to give the Gamecocks a chance to cut into the three-run deficit. Despite another opportunity, Hollins was left stranded after back-to-back strikeouts.
The Gamecocks were retired in order at the top of the ninth to hand Florida its first Southeastern Conference series win of the season after the 3-0 win.
Gamecocks swept by Florida in series finale
South Carolina fell 13-3 to Florida in just seven innings during to complete the weekend sweep. The Gamecocks and Gators combined for 16 runs and 18 hits, as Florida used two multi-run innings to separate after South Carolina tied the game early.
Florida scored first in the opening inning. Jones singled to lead off the frame, stole second and advanced to third during a double steal before scoring on a sacrifice fly from Strayer. Schwarz then doubled down the left-field line to bring home two additional runs and give the Gators a 3-0 lead.
South Carolina responded in the second inning. Senior designated hitter Jake Randolph singled, and Evans drew a walk before senior outfielder Luke Yuhasz hit a three-run home run to center field to tie the game at 3-3.
Florida retook the lead in the bottom of the second. Freshman outfielder Jacob Kendall singled, and Myers followed with a single to put runners at the corners before Jones lifted a sacrifice fly to score Kendall. Lawson then hit a two-run home run to right field to extend the Gators’ lead to 6-3.
The Gators added to their lead in the fourth after a walk with the bases loaded scored Jones, and a Strayer grand slam during the next at bat to right field to push the advantage to 11-3.
In the fifth inning, Florida once again extended its lead. Kendall walked and later scored, along with Lawson, when Surowiec doubled down the right field line for two RBI, making the score 13-3.
South Carolina recorded eight hits in the game but did not score after the second inning. The Gamecocks’ best opportunity came in the fifth inning when Craddock, sophomore infielder KJ Scobey and LeCroy recorded consecutive singles to load the bases with one out, but a foul out and a flyout ended the threat.
Florida finished with 11 hits and scored 13 runs, aided by five walks and multiple extra-base hits, including two home runs.
Yuhasz led the Gamecocks offensively with a three-run home run. Craddock finished with two hits, while Randolph, Evans, Scobey and LeCroy had one hit each.
What's next?
The Gamecocks will return to Columbia to face Charlotte at Founder's Park on March 17. The opening pitch is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be streamed on the SEC Network.