Five Home Runs, Solid Pitching Helps Baseball Sweep Florida

COLUMBIA – Brady Allen homered twice, part of a five-home run day for the University of South Carolina team, and the trio of Will Sanders, Julian Bosnic and Brett Kerry combined to strike out 14 in an 8-5 win over No. 5 Florida Sunday afternoon (March 28) at Founders Park. The Gamecocks completed a three-game sweep of the Gators for the first time since 2006.
 
Florida got on the board in the top of the second on Sterlin Thompson’s first home run of the year, but the Gamecocks came right back with three home runs in the bottom of the second frame. Wes Clarke and Andrew Eyster hit back-to-back opposite-field home run and Colin Burgess joined them in the inning with his opposite-field shot. Brady Allen made it 4-1 in the third with a home run to right. The Gators made it 4-3 on Kirby McMullen’s home run in the fourth.
 
Carolina added four runs of insurance in the sixth as Allen homered again, a two-run shot, and George Callil brought in two with a double to the gap in left. Florida scored two in the eighth but would get no closer as the Gamecocks clinched the sweep.
 
Sanders earned the win on the mound, striking out six and allowing two hits and two earned runs with a walk in four innings and 59 pitches. Bosnic was stellar, striking out five and allowing just one hit in three innings of relief. Kerry pitched the final two frames, striking out three and allowing three hits and two runs.
 
Allen went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Eyster had two hits and two runs scored while Callil drove in a pair.

POSTGAME NOTES

• The sweep in 2006 happened on March 24-26 in Columbia. Carolina picked up wins of 4-1, 6-5 and 21-4 at Sarge Frye Field.
• Carolina now has 33 home runs on the season, with Clarke’s 13 leading the way.
• Allen now has eight multi-hit games in 2021.
• Carolina has now won five games in a row and is a game out of first in the SEC East.
• Carolina pitchers struck out 45 Gators on the weekend with a .174 opponent’s batting average.

UP NEXT
Carolina concluded the five-game homestand this Tuesday night (March 30) with a 7 p.m. game against Gardner-Webb at Founders Park. The game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.