OMAHA, Neb. — They did it again.
Just when it looked like South Carolina would lose an NCAA playoff game, the Gamecocks escaped Monday night.
As a result, it's the Florida Gators who will be looking to escape elimination tonight.
“It was a frustrating game for us but South Carolina is the defending champ for a reason,” said Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan. “This thing is a long way from over.”
South Carolina pitcher John Taylor got out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the bottom of the ninth and Jake Williams threw out Cody Dent in the bottom of the 10th.
“The ball beat me there,” Dent said. “It was thrown to the outside and I tried to slide on the inside. But he got me.”
The Gamecocks then scored an unearned run to beat Florida 2-1 in 11 innings in the first game of the College World Series Finals.
“We had our opportunities but we needed to elevate the ball (in the ninth),” O'Sullivan said. “We've got a good pitcher going (tonight) in Karsten (Whitson). We'll use Brian Johnson, too.”
South Carolina got out of three bases-loaded jams in extra innings when it beat Virginia last Friday night to advance to the Finals.
The Gamecocks have now won a record 15 straight NCAA games.
Florida (53-18) will need to win tonight and again tomorrow night to become the fifth school, and the first SEC school, to win national titles in football, basketball and baseball. South Carolina (54-14) is one win away from back-to-back national championships.
