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After last night’s flat out bad showing offensively, the Gamecocks were slightly more alive tonight. They were first on the board, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning after TJ Hopkins got hit and Carlos Cortes homered with one out. Florida cut the lead in the half in the second inning on a Keenan Bell RBI single that made it 2-1.
That score held until the sixth inning, when South Carolina tacked on another run. Chris Cullen started things off with a single, then with two outs, Jacob Olson smacked a double to get Cullen home and make it 3-1.
The Gamecocks’ final run of the game came in the seventh inning. Hopkins led off with a single and later scored on an RBI groundout by Cullen. The Gators’ final run came in the ninth inning, thanks to a balk.
Starter Wil Crowe had another strong outing, working into the eighth inning. He tossed 116 pitches and allowed just six hits and one run, didn’t walk any batters, and struck out three. Tyler Johnson pitched the rest of the game.
With the win, South Carolina improves to 24-14 overall and 9-8 in the SEC, while Florida drops to 26-13 overall and 9-8 in conference play. The rubber game is set to start at noon in Gainesville on Saturday.