Florida baseball is facing off against South Carolina in Gainesville Super Regional action with a shot at the College World Series on the line. While inclement weather delayed Friday’s start for quite a while, plenty of fireworks were in store once the game was rolling.

Right out of the gate, both teams delivered some early blows in the 1st inning. Will McGillis struck first for the Gamecocks with a lead-off home run to begin the game. Gavin Casas also delivered an RBI hit in the frame for an early 2-0 lead for South Carolina.

The lead did not last long Josh Rivera answering back in the bottom of the 1st. He drilled a 2-run HR to even things up and set the stage for a back-and-forth affair.

On the mound for Florida, Brandon Sproat allowed another run in the top of the 2nd inning before settling in. After that, Sproat was effective, scattering 3 earned runs on 9 hits with 7 strikeouts in 6 innings pitched.

Florida would eventually tie the game in the 5th and take the lead in the 6th via solo home runs. Tyler Shelnut delivered the game-tying blast before BT Riopelle drilled the go-ahead shot in the bottom of the 6th. Shelnut delivered insurance with an RBI single in the bottom of the 8th to make it 5-3, Gators.

That insurance proved crucial for Florida. Brandon Neely came out of the bullpen to try and close out the game and delivered 2 quick strikeouts. However, McGillis struck again with his 2nd HR of the game to make it 5-4.

Neely was able to get Braylen Wimmer to ground out to finish the game, but SEC matchup lived up to the hype to begin the Super Regionals. Now, the Gators stand one win away from Omaha with the Gamecocks up against elimination entering Saturday.

Gainesville Super Regional schedule

The Gainesville Super Regional now turns to Game 2 on Saturday. Start time for that game is set for 3 pm ET on ESPN2. The Gamecocks will serve as the home team for Saturday’s matchup.

If needed, Game 3 would come on Sunday.

Main photo via Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) on Twitter.