May 22, 2010

Box Score | Quotes | Gameday Survey

Columbia, S.C. – Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a grand slam home run and Adam Matthews tallied three hits and homered for the second straight as South Carolina defeated Florida 11-6 on Saturday afternoon in the final game of the three-game SEC baseball series at Carolina Stadium. The Gamecocks are now 43-13 and 21-9 in the SEC while the loss drops Florida to 40-13 and 22-8 in conference play. South Carolina heads to the SEC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face the No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels in game two of the tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one, which begins at 10:30 a.m. ET.

The Gamecock offense was strong all day tallying 16 hits with eight of nine position starters recording at least one hit on the afternoon. Bobby Haney tied his career-high in hits with a 4-for-5 day at the plate and scored three runs. Matthews 3-for-5 day also tied a season-high and he scored twice and also drove in two runs. Bradley, Whit Merrifield and Christian Walker had two hits apiece as well. Florida was led by Josh Adams, who was 3-for-5 with a run scored and a RBI.

South Carolina starter Jay Brown worked 6.1 innings and allowed two runs on five hits to pick up the win. He is 3-0 on the year. He struck out four and walked one batter. Florida starter Brian Johnson suffered the loss and is now 5-3 for the season. He allowed one run on two hits in one inning of work.

South Carolina broke ahead 1-0 on a solo home run by Matthews. The Gamecock left fielder crushed his second home run of the series and sixth of the season to center field to give the Gamecocks a one-run lead. That lead extended to 2-0 in the second inning as Haney singled with two outs followed by a walk to Scott Wingo and a RBI base hit by Whit Merrifield scoring Haney.

It would remain that way until the bottom of the sixth when Carolina put up a six spot to increase the lead to 8-0. After loading the bases with one out, Merrifield delivered with a RBI single up the middle scoring Adrian Morales. With the bases still loaded, Bradley delivered as he crushed a grand slam home run to right center off of Gator reliever Matt Campbell, his ninth home run of the season. After a single by Adam Matthews and a double from Christian Walker, the Gamecocks would score the sixth run of the frame on a RBI ground out off the bat of Nick Ebert.

Florida responded though and scored six runs in the top of the seventh cutting Carolina’s lead to two runs. Hampton Tignor had a two-run single, Cody Dent tallied a RBI base hit that scored Tignor with Ben McMahan also driving in two runs with a single and Josh Adams adding a RBI single as well.

South Carolina extended the lead back to four runs in the sixth inning scoring two more off of Campbell in the bottom of the seventh. Haney opened the inning with a single and with two outs, scored on a wild pitch. After Bradley doubled, Matthews again came through with a RBI base hit that plated home Bradley. South Carolina made it 11-6 in the bottom of the eighth on Nick Ebert’s solo home run, his seventh homer of the year.