Surging Gators sweep Gamecocks for 10th win in last 12 games

Luke Heyman rounds second after launching a home run (UAA Photo)

Perhaps you were thinking to stick a fork in the Florida Gators because their baseball season was done after a 1-11 start to the Southeastern Conference portion of the season. Well, think again.

Since that dreadful start, the Gators are 12-2, 10-2 in the SEC. With their sweep of South Carolina in Columbia, the Gators are 33-16 overall, 11-13 in the SEC. With six SEC games remaining – three roadies at Texas next weekend and three at home against Alabama in the final regular season series – the Gators have a legitimate chance to finish break even in SEC play.

At 1-11 the Gators were next to last in the SEC and needing a miracle finish to sniff the NCAA Tournament. Barring disaster in the last two weekends, pencil the Gators in the tournament. Hosting a super regional is essentially out of the question, but hosting a regional is indeed a possibility.

The sweep of South Carolina began with a barrage of home runs Thursday night. Hayden Yost hit a 2-run homer in the fourth, then in the fifth Luke Heyman homered to left field and Ty Evans hammered a grand slam over the fence in center field. From a 4-1 deficit, the Gators earned a 9-5 win.

It wasn’t all about the hitting. The bullpen came through in a big way. Billy Barlow went 1-2/3 innings, striking out three before turning it over to Jake Clemente who went the final three, shutting down South Carolina while striking out six for his sixth save of the season.

When Saturday’s game two was interrupted by weather after 2-2/3 innings, the Gators finished things off with two wins on Sunday, the first a 22-3 massacre that featured an 11-run ninth, and the second a 7-inning, 8-0 shutout in which Pierce Coppola, Jackson Barberi and Christian Rodriquez limited the Gamecocks to four hits.

Liam Peterson, pulled Friday night in the first inning when rain began to fall, took the mound Sunday when the game picked up in the third inning. Florida’s ace went 3-1/3 innings to pick up his eighth win. Clemente and Carson Montsdeoca split up the final three innings.

The Gators led 4-0 in the fifth when Luke Heyman hit a solo homer, his second of the series. Heyman wasn’t through. In the seventh he hit his second homer of the game to put the Gators up 6-2.

That’s when the wheels came off for South Carolina. The Gators scored five in an eighth inning that saw Ty Evans hit a bases-loaded double down the left field line to put Florida ahead 11-3.

Then came as bizarre a ninth inning as you would ever wish to see. Florida sent 14 men to the plate and scored 11 runs despite only three hits. South Carolina pitchers couldn’t find the strike zone, walking eight Gators. The big hit of the inning was a grand slam by freshman Brendan Lawson, his ninth home run of the season.

Seven South Carolina pitchers were tagged for 15 hits including three home runs. They walked 13 batters, hit another and threw 220 pitches.

Hayden Yost went 3-5 with three RBI, while Bobby Boser, Lawson, Heyman, Blake Cyr and Evans all had two hits. Lawson finished with five RBI while Boser, Heyman and Evans had three each.

South Carolina pitchers did a better job of throwing strikes in game two (two walks) but Florida hitters teed off for 12 hits, three of which left the yard. Evans, who only recently returned to the lineup after missing most of the season injured, hit a solo home run in the first for the only run the Gators would actually need. Yost, who also had a squeeze bunt for a third inning RBI, hit a 2-run homer in the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Brody Donay hit his 13thhomer of the season.

Ashton Wilson delivered a 3-3 performance with two RBI. Boser, Lawson and Donay each had two hits.

In a very important development, lefty Pierce Coppola made his first appearance since a March 1 injury. If Kevin O’Sullivan can get Coppola in good enough shape to pitch even 3-4 innings it will be a major plus for the Gators moving forward.

Coppola was replaced after an inning by Jackson Barberi, who went 3-1/3 innings, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out four to improve to 2-1 on the season. Christian Rodriguez picked up the save, going the last 2-2/3 innings while giving up just one hit.

Over the weekend, Yost went 5-10 with two homers and eight RBI. Evans went 5-13 with a double, two homers and eight RBI. Heyman had three homers and five RBI. Lawson went 5-14 with a home run and six RBI.

Speaking of the big weekend by Evans, O’Sullivan said, “No doubt, we’re not going to get where we want to without him in the lineup, so I’m really, really pleased for him. You know, the other guy that probably gets overlooked sometimes is Hayden Yost. He swung the bat extremely well today. You know his home run there really opened up that second game.”

The Gators will face South Florida in their final non-conference game of the season Tuesday night at Condron Family Ballpark.