No. 6 South Carolina (17-5/1-3 SEC) snapped a 2-2 tie with a
four-run seventh inning and added three runs in the eighth to defeat No. 1
Florida (20-2/3-1 SEC), 9-3, on Thursday night in the opener of a three-game
series in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,242 fans at Carolina Stadium. Freshman
Kyle Martin delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single with the bases loaded and one
down to move the Gamecocks in front and sophomore Erik Payne added a two-run
double to put USC in control. Junior Matt Price (3-1), Saturday’s scheduled
starter, earned the victory with 2.1 hitless innings of relief as the Gators’
school-record winning streak was halted at 18 games. Junior Steven Rodriguez
(Miami, Fla.) (3-1) was on the hook for the loss as one of five UF pitchers.
Thursday’s starters, Florida junior righty Hudson Randall
(Atlanta, Ga.) and South Carolina senior lefty Michael Roth, each allowed a
pair of runs during his tenure. Randall set a career high with 11 strikeouts
and yielded seven hits over 5.2 innings, while Roth scattered four hits over
6.2 innings, with five K and three walks.
The Gamecocks loaded the bases against Randall with none out in
the first inning but the right-hander responded with three-consecutive
strikeouts. Junior Evan Marzilli (3-for-4) lined the first pitch of USC’s at
bat into left center field for a single and freshman Joey Pankake followed with
a base-hit up the middle for runners on the corners. A wild pitch moved Pankake
to second base and junior Christian Walker drew his first of three walks to
load the bases with none out. Randall fanned junior LB Dantzler and freshman
Grayson Greiner and caught Roth looking on strikes to strand the runners.
Florida opened the scoring in the third inning on a two-out RBI
single by senior Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.). Freshman Casey Turgeon
(Palm Harbor, Fla.) had started the frame by reaching on a fielding error by shortstop
Pankake and went to second on a grounder by junior Nolan Fontana (Winter
Garden, Fla.). Senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) (2-for-4) collected
the Gators’ initial hit off Roth with a two-out infield single that pushed
Turgeon to third base. Tucker drove in his teammate by slicing a 2-2 pitch into
right field.
In the bottom of the inning, Walker reached second base on a
one-out dropped fly ball by freshman left fielder Justin Shafer (Lake
Wales, Fla.). Randall worked out of trouble by having Dantzler line out to
right field and Greiner strike out.
South Carolina claimed a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a two-out homer
to left center by senior Adam Matthews (3-for-4). Randall struck out the first
two batters of the inning, Roth and Payne, before freshman Tanner English
(2-for-4) singled into center field. Matthews followed with his second
round-tripper of the season into the visitor’s bullpen to move the Gamecocks in
front.
Junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) evened the score
at two runs apiece in the sixth with a two-out single into center field. Pigott
collected his second hit of the night with a leadoff single and freshman Taylor
Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.) earned a free pass with two down. Soon after,
Maddox roped a 2-0 pitch into center to bring across Pigott with the tying run.
Roth countered with a strikeout of junior Cody Dent (Boynton Beach,
Fla.) to close the frame.
Randall struck out the first two batters in the home part of the
inning, Roth and Payne, to establish a career best with 11 strikeouts. It
marked the first time that a Gator hurler reached double-digit strikeouts in an
outing since Alex Panteliodis had 12 against Miami (Fla.) in the NCAA
Gainesville Super Regional on June 11, 2010. An infield single by English
prompted a pitching change, as Rodriguez replaced Randall (5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 11
K, 1 BB). The reliever was charged with a balk that moved English into scoring
position but struck out Matthews to keep the contest tied.
Roth recorded the first two outs in the seventh and Fontana drew a
walk to cause a pitching change. Over 6.2 innings, Roth allowed four hits and
two runs (one earned), with five strikeouts and three walks. Price came into
the contest and Fontana swiped second base for his team-leading sixth theft. However,
the 2011 All-American closer Price responded by catching Pigott looking on
strikes.
The Gamecocks used a two-run pinch-hit single with the bases full
by Martin and a two-run double by Payne to seize a 6-2 lead in the bottom of
the stanza. Marzilli began the inning with a single into left field and Maddox
was summoned to replace Rodriguez (0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 K). Pankake moved Marzilli
to second with a sacrifice bunt and Maddox walked Walker, the first time he had
issued a free pass all season. He then walked Dantzler to load the bags and
Martin came through with a base-knock down the right-field line to score both
Marzilli and Walker. Maddox retired Roth on an infield fly and Payne cleared the
bases with a double into right center to expand the Gamecocks’ lead to four
runs. Maddox (0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB) was replaced by freshman Ryan Harris
(Jupiter, Fla.), who had an inning-ending strikeout of English.
South Carolina tacked on three more runs on two hits in the eighth
to build a 9-2 lead. Matthews began the inning with a single into left center
and wound up on third base on a sacrifice bunt by Marzilli and an error by
Gushue that resulted in a 3-6-3 run-down and Marzilli being tagged out. Pankake
and Walker drew consecutive walks from Harris, bringing in freshman Corey
Stump (Lakeland, Fla.). The lefty uncorked a wild pitch to bring across
Matthews with the seventh run and walked Dantzler to re-load the bases with one
down. Junior Dante Rosenberg had an RBI grounder to drive in Pankake and sophomore
Brison Celek followed with a pinch-hit single into left field that scored
Walker, with Pigott throwing out Dantzler at the plate to end the inning.
The Gators finalized the scoring at 9-3 in the ninth on a
pinch-hit sacrifice fly by junior Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.). Dent
drew a leadoff walk and was safe at second on a muffed throw on a fielder’s
choice by freshman Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.). Fontana walked for
the second time and Ramjit lofted a sac fly into center field to score Dent
with the game’s final run. South Carolina out-hit the visitors, 12-4.
Friday’s game two at 7 p.m. on CSS (Cox Communications Channel 259
in Gainesville) will pit UF junior left-hander Brian Johnson (Cocoa
Beach, Fla.) (3-0, 3.16) versus Gameock sophomore right-hander Forrest Koumas
(1-1, 2.13).
