April 26, 2009
Gainesville, Fla. – Florida scored nine runs in the first four innings with Josh Adams driving in four on a pair of singles and the Gators held off a late Gamecock rally to defeat South Carolina 9-5 on Sunday afternoon to sweep a three-game SEC series. The Gators are 31-14 and 13-8 in the SEC while the loss drops Carolina to 27-18 and 9-12 in league play. Carolina will take the midweek off for exams before getting back in action on Friday evening hosting Vanderbilt in a three-game SEC series. All three games will be televised on SportSouth.
Florida starting pitcher Alex Panteliodis picked up the win after 5.1 innings of work allowing four runs, one earned, on nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks. He is 4-5 for the year. Carolina starter Blake Cooper lasted only 1.0-plus innings and allowed six runs, five earned, on five hits to suffer the loss. He is 5-4 on the year. Florida reliever Billy Bullock retired the final two batters of the game to pick up a save. It was his eighth of the year.
The Gators didn’t waste time scoring as they put four runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Florida loaded the bases with three consecutive singles from Avery Barnes, Daniel Pigott and Preston Tucker. Josh Adams continued the hit parade with a RBI base hit to left field scoring both Barnes and Pigott. Tucker would follow with the third run on a sacrifice fly RBI off the bat of Brandon McArthur. Florida’s fourth run would be unearned as Andrew Crisp threw low to first base for a throwing error that allowed Adams to score from second base with two outs.
Florida followed a similar script in the second inning to score three more runs and increase the lead to 7-0. For the second consecutive inning, the top three Gators in the order reached base to load the bases. Barnes doubled and Pigott walked. A balk call on Cooper ended the afternoon for the Gamecock right-hander. Carolina went to the pen for left-hander Adam Westmoreland. Preston Tucker walked for Florida to load the bases and set the stage again for Adams. Florida’s second baseman delivered in the clutch with a two-run single to right center scoring Barnes and Pigott. Tucker would eventually score the Gators’ third run on Matt den Dekker’s RBI sacrifice fly
The Gators added two more in the fourth inning. For the third time in the game, Florida loaded the bases. Adams reached base for a third time with a single, den Dekker drew a one-out walk and McArthur singled. Teddy Foster would drive in a run on a hit by pitch and with two outs Mike Mooney drew a walk to score the Gators second run of the inning.
South Carolina got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning. DeAngelo Mack reached base on a leadoff triple, his second of the season and scored on Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s RBI sacrifice fly to center field. Carolina would creep to within four runs then in the sixth inning with a four spot against the Gators. With the bases loaded and two outs, Mack hit a high fly ball in the air that the wind got a hold of. As it trailed into right center, right fielder Daniel Pigott ran to track it down, only to drop the ball allowing all three Gamecock runners to score. The momentum continued in Carolina’s favor as Nick Ebert followed with a RBI single up the middle scoring Mack and cutting Carolina’s deficit to 9-5.
That would be all Carolina could score though as the Gators kept Carolina off the scoreboard in the late innings to take the sweep.
South Carolina out-hit Florida 13-12 despite the loss. Crisp was 3-for-4 with Mack, Bradley, Jr., Enders and Bobby Haney all finishing with two hits apiece as well. Adams 3-for-5 day at the plate and Barnes 3-for-5 day led Florida at the plate.
