March 24, 2002
COLUMBIA, SC – Fourth ranked South Carolina scored two seventh inning runs without hitting the ball out of the infield Sunday, added a solo home run by Landon Powell in the eighth and held on to edge sixth ranked Florida 6-4 to take a Southeastern Conference baseball series two games to one.
Steven Bondurant pitched 6 2/3 innings to claim the win and improve his record to 3-0. Blake Taylor earned his sixth save. Florida starter Keith Ramsey, 3-1, took the loss. South Carolina raised its record to 21-4 while Florida dropped to 21-5. Both teams are 4-2 in the SEC standings.
South Carolina led 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning when the Gamecocks tallied twice on a walk, a bunt single by Jon Coutlangus who was trying to sacrifice, an infield hit by Steve Thomas, a bases loaded walk to Yaron Peters and another infield hit, by Garris Gonce that scored the second run to stretch the lead to 5-2.
Florida cut the lead to 5-4 with two runs in the top of the eighth. Hits by Aaron Sobieraj and Matt Goss and a walk to Ryan Shealy loaded the bases and Pat Osborn’s hit scored Sobieraj and Goss. Powell hit his fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the inning for South Carolina to make the score 6-4.
Florida threatened in the ninth inning when Mark Kiger reached on a two base error and moved to third base on the second out of the inning. Sobieraj then hit a sharp ground ball up the middle but Gamecock shortstop Drew Meyer made a diving stop, clambered to his feet and threw Sobieraj out at first base to end the game.
South Carolina took a 2-0 first inning lead. Meyer singled and scored from first base on a double by Steve Thomas. Thomas scored when Justin Harris struck out but reached base on a passed ball.
Ryan Shealy hit his ninth home run for Florida in the second inning but Tray Dyson homered for South Carolina in the bottom of the inning, Dyson’s seventh homer of the season. A double by Jonathan Tucker and an RBI single by Kiger in the seventh inning cut the Gamecock lead to 3-2.
South Carolina collected 12 hits, three by Coutlangus who had a double. Meyer, Thomas and Gonce had two hits each. One the hits by Thomas was a double. Kiger had four of 11 hits by Florida. Shealy and Pat Osborn had two hits. Osborn and Tucker had doubles.
FLORIDA 010 000 120 – 4-11-0
SOUTH CAROLINA 210 000 21x – 6-12-1
Ramsey, Goldfarb (7), Coleman (7), Pete (7), Boss (8) and Rose. Bondurant, Taylor (7) and Powell. W-Bondurant (3-0). L-Ramsey (3-1). Save-Taylor (6). 2B-UF, Osborn, Tucker, USC, Thomas, Coutlangus. HR-UF, Shealy (9), USC, Dyson (7), Powell (5).
