Gators Stun Gamecocks With Ninth Inning Home Runs

Friday, April 29

Columbia, SC

7:00 PM

Florida Gators

37-6, 14-5

South Carolina

33-9, 14-5

Florida

South Carolina

Gators Stun Gamecocks With Ninth Inning Home Runs

Friday, April 29, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score

A pair of ninth-inning home runs gave No. 1 Florida a 5-4 win at No. 5 South Carolina

By: Daniel Apple

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 1 Florida stunned the home crowd on Friday night at Founders Park, hitting a pair of ninth-inning home runs to come from behind and beat No. 5 South Carolina 5-4 in game one of the weekend series. With the win, the Gators (37-6, 14-5 SEC) and Gamecocks (33-9/14-5 SEC) are tied atop the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division standings.

South Carolina took an early lead and held off the Gators as long as they could. After a scoreless eighth frame, Florida trailed 4-3 with the bottom half of the order due up and just three outs remaining.

That's all they needed.

Freshman Jonathan India stepped to the plate and launched a ball into the left field seats to tie the game 4-4 with his second home run of the season. After a pair of fly outs, classmate Nick Horvath – who entered the game as a pinch runner in the seventh – squared a ball up and sent it deep to left to quiet the home crowd and give the Gators a 5-4 lead.

Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan sent closer Shaun Anderson to the mound in the ninth to finish off the Gamecocks. After a leadoff single, Anderson induced a 6-4-3 double play to wipe out the runner. The final hope for USC, Dom Thompson-Williams sent a ball deep to left field but Nelson Maldonado had just enough room to make the catch on the warning track and send the fans home in shock.

Florida starter Logan Shore (4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER) kept the Gators in the game early despite giving up a pair of home runs and reliever Dane Dunning (3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R) pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win.

The Gamecocks got on the board first, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the opening inning. After designated hitter John Jones drew a two-out walk, left fielder Alex Destino hit his fifth home run of the season.

Both pitchers settled in for the next few innings but the Gamecocks struck again in the fifth. Catcher Chris Cullen gave USC a 3-0 lead with a home run to left field.

Florida responded in the next frame and cut the lead to 3-2 with a pair of runs. After Deacon Liput reached on an error, designated hitter JJ Schwarz came to the plate and blasted a ball into the stands to pull the Gators within one.

In the bottom half of the sixth, South Carolina extended the lead again. Jonah Bride led off with a double to right field and scored on Cullen's double down the left field line to give USC a 4-2 advantage.

Florida answered again in the seventh after Mike Rivera got on base with a one-out walk. Nelson Maldonado advanced him to second with his second hit of the night and pinch hitter Jeremy Vasquez brought him home with a single to center field to cut the deficit back to one run.

Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan
On tonight's game:
"I thought [USC starter Clarke] Schmidt was really sharp early. He kept making pitches on the edges of the plate, kept expanding the outer half of the plate. I thought we had a good game plan but he kept executing his pitches. You can have the best game plan you want, but if the guy on the mound is executing pitches there's not much you can do."

"I thought Logan kept us in there. In an environment like this, the fans are into it, to fall behind 2-0 in the first we could have fallen apart there. He just kept battling. That's what he does all the time."

"It was a heck of a game. It's a shame anybody had to lose. It was back and forth. I would expect tomorrow to be the same. It should be an exciting finish to the weekend."

Second Baseman Jonathan India
"[Horvath's home run] was a big moment to take the lead like that at a great place like South Carolina. For him especially since he doesn't play every day. When he gets his chances he makes the most of it. It was awesome."

Postgame Notes

The Gators have won seven in a row against South Carolina, including four in a row in Columbia.
Florida now trails the all-time series with USC by just one game, 42-43.
UF improved to 13-10 in one-run games against the Gamecocks.
Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan is now 20-11 all-time against USC.
Nick Horvath's home run was the first of his career.
Entering Friday night, Logan Shore had allowed two home runs in 63.0 innings pitched. He allowed two to South Carolina in 4.2 innings tonight.

Up Next

The Gators and Gamecocks will meet tomorrow at 7 p.m., with junior left-hander A.J. Puk (2-2, 3.07) squaring off against USC freshman right-hander Braden Webb (8-2, 3.28). Jeff Cardozo and Mick Hubert have the call on the Gator IMG Sports Network and the game will be shown live on SEC Network+.