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Florida powers past South Carolina to advance in SEC Tournament
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Florida continued its 2025 dominance of South Carolina on Tuesday in the SEC Tournament, adding another conference win to its NCAA Tournament resume. The Gators, who swept the Gamecocks in the regular season, made it 4-0 for the year with an 11-3 win.
Things actually got off to a rough start for Kevin O’Sullivan’s team. The first 3 Gamecocks reached base against Florida starter Billy Barlow. South Carolina got on the board, but at the cost of a double play. A ground ball to short then ended the frame, minimizing the damage.
South Carolina’s 1-0 lead only lasted into the bottom of the 2nd inning. Bobby Boser gave Florida the lead when he clubbed a 2-run home run to center field.
BOBBY GO BOOM #GoGators // SECN pic.twitter.com/imuQeNLbIb
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 20, 2025
It was the first of 3 homers for Gator hitters. Brody Donay went oppo taco with a 2-un blast to make it 4-1.
DONAY DEMO No. 17 #GoGators // SECN pic.twitter.com/X0Dkve3uuw
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 20, 2025
Hayden Yost got in on the fun with a solo blast.
HAY YO, THAT'S GONE #GoGators // SECN pic.twitter.com/wBU67POxDA
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 20, 2025
South Carolina made things interesting in the 8th when it cut Florida’s 7-1 lead to 7-3. The Gamecocks, however, could not hold onto any momentum. The Gators answered with 4 runs in the bottom half of the frame, but were unable to invoke the run-rule, leaving 2 men on base to end the inning.
On the mound, Florida used 3 pitchers. After the shaky start, Barlow settled in, going 3.2 innings. He allowed just the 1 earned run on 78 pitches. Blaine Rowland picked up the win in a 3.2 IP relief appearance, allowing 2 earned runs. Christian Rodriguez closed it out, pitching the final 1.2 innings, allowing O’Sullivan to save standout closer Jake Clemente for another game.
The Gators came to Hoover solidly in the NCAA Tournament field, but making a strong push to host a Regional in Gainesville. Their next opponent, Ole Miss, is also in that conversation.
For South Carolina, a miserable 2025 season comes to an end. The first year under Paul Mainieri did not go as planned. The Gamecocks end the year 28-29 after going 6-24 in conference play, winning just 1 SEC series.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
