Florida suffered a consecutive loss for the first time this season Friday night as the South Carolina Gamecocks outplayed the Gators in a 5-2 series-clinching win.
Hurston Waldrep started on the mound for UF and saw his streak of consecutive quality starts end at three as the Gamecocks got to him for five runs through the first two innings. First baseman Cole Messina homered in the first with a man on and Golden Spikes candidate/right fielder Ethan Petry hit a three-run shot in the second inning.
Waldrep settled in and retired the lineup in order over the next three innings. He’d run into some trouble again in the sixth with men on the corners, but he struck out the side after convincing Sully to let him stay in.
The bullpen did its job, too. [autotag]Clete Hartzog[/autotag] and [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] pitched a clean seventh and eighth, respectively, but Florida’s offense couldn’t score runs when it needed it to most.
The Gators left men on base in all but the first and eighth innings. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] struck out with two men in on in the seventh, which felt like th defining moment of the game, and there’s really nothing to do here but tip your hat to South Carolina.
The Gamecocks looked like the better club all around on Friday and Saturday. A true freshman led the offense against two potential first-round arms, both starters did their job against one of the most dangerous lineups in the country and the bullpen looked elite.
Florida is still a national-championship caliber club, but the Gamecocks are serious as well and will threaten to beat any team in the postseason. UF needs to rebound from these two games on Saturday and put it to SCAR, just as Tennessee did after suffering two convincing losses against Florida two weeks ago.
If you’re looking for a silver lining, [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] hit another home run and is just three away from tying the school record.
The final game of the series begins at 2 p.m.
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