Another magical trip to Hoover!
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: South Carolina made a quick exit from Hoover and the SEC Tournament, losing to Florida 2-1 in 10 innings on Tuesday night.
The game was scoreless until the fourth, when the Gators took a 1-0 lead on a base hit by Jac Caglianone and an error. That score held all the way until the ninth, when the Gamecocks finally ended the shutout. With one out, Braylen Wimmer and Josiah Sightler both singled, then Andrew Eyster hit into a fielder’s choice that got Wimmer home and tied the game at 1-1.
To give USC credit, they did get the game to extras, but after a quiet top of the 10th, UF managed to get a couple of hits before the winning run came on a bang-bang play at the plate that involved the ball being dropped, allowing the runner to score. Unfortunately, that situation pretty much sums up this entire season for the Cocks.
Carolina starter Will Sanders had a great final outing, working seven innings and allowing just four hits and one run. He walked three batters and struck out 10. Cade Austin also pitched in this game, and he took the loss, giving him a 5-2 record. Gators reliever Ryan Slater got the win and is 5-3. Sightler led the Gamecocks at the plate with two hits, while Eyster tallied the only RBI. Wyatt Langford paced Florida at the plate with two hits as well, while Colby Halter recorded their only RBI.
USC finishes the 2022 season with a record of 27-28 overall and 13-18 in conference play, while the Gators are now 36-20 overall and 16-15 in the SEC.