OMAHA, Neb. — It wasn’t supposed
to end this way.
Not for the preseason favorite
and top-ranked team in the country. Not for the team that shrugged
off expectations and captured the regular season and tournament
title in the nation’s toughest conference.
But it did.
Florida’s season bitterly ended
Tuesday night, as reigning national champion South Carolina
successfully defended its title and swept the Gators (53-19) 5-2 in
Game 2 of the College World Series Finals.
"They earned this one. They were
a little bit better than us in all phases," UF coach Kevin
O'Sullivan said of the Gamecocks, who beat Florida in four of their
five meetings this season. "It's nice to make steps but the idea is
to win this thing. Our goal year in and year out is to win
championships."
After closing out historic
Rosenblatt Stadium with a championship, the Gamecocks (55-14)
opened beautiful TD Ameritrade Park with another, winning a NCAA
record 16 straight tournament games in the process.
In two tries, the Gators are now
0-4 in the CWS Finals, also getting swept by Texas in
2005.
Although Florida won a
school-record 53 games this season, numbers 54 and 55
exasperatingly eluded them.
In a series full of plays decided
by inches, the Gators continuously fell short.
"We just didn't do enough. They
just did a little bit more,” O’Sullivan said.
After struggling to score in
Monday’s frenzied loss, the Gators bats were flummoxed again, this
time by USC left-hander Michael Roth (14-3, 1.06 ERA).
South Carolina’s ace, pitching on
three-days rest, tossed 7.2 sharp innings allowing two runs on an
astounding 127 pitches.
UF flamethrower Karsten Whitson
was rolling for the first two innings before unraveling in the
third when South Carolina put up a three spot.
USC shortstop Peter Mooney led
off the inning with an opposite field double, as Florida’s freshman
All-American suddenly lost his command.
Following a walk and a sacrifice
bunt, Monday’s hero and CWS Most Outstanding Player, Scott Wingo,
knocked a sacrifice fly to center. After another walk, UF shortstop
Nolan Fontana booted a routine high chopper, allowing a second run
to score. The Gamecocks plated their third run on an infield
squibbler by designated hitter Brady Thomas.
In the sixth, Mooney, whose
brother Mike played for the Gators in 2009, smoked a solo homer
into the right field bullpen.
Whitson (8-1, 2.40 ERA) pitched
4.2 innings but never looked comfortable after the first two
frames, hitting three batters on the night — matching his season’s
total coming into the game — and losing the first game in his
career.
The Gators got on the board in
the fourth when Mike Zunino cranked his 19th homer to lead off the
inning.
But UF could never put it all
together offensively, failing to get the timely hit.
"We made great strides this
year," Zunino said. "But you're always going to have that hollow
feeling if you don't win. It's an empty feeling.”
All season, Florida’s kryptonite
has been crafty southpaws, and Tuesday night was no
exception.
UF left-handed batters went 0-10
against the soft-tossing Roth, who moved his CWS ERA to 1.17 in 38
career innings.
The Gators stranded a pair of
runners in the first when Preston Tucker and Josh Adams hit lazy
flyouts to center field.
In the fifth, Florida had two on
and no outs but nine-hole hitter Cody Dent botched the bunt
attempt, fouling out on a third-strike effort. Two pitches later,
Bryson Smith rolled into a routine 4-6-3 double play.
The Gators wasted two more
scoring opportunites in the sixth and seventh. For the series, the
Gators were just 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position with a
pair of RBIs.
In the eighth, Zunino doubled —
the SEC Player of the Year went 4 for 4 with two walks after going
2 for 15 to open the CWS — and later scored on Adams’ two-out RBI
single. Tyler Thompson then pinch hit for Pigott and just missed a
double down the left field line before USC closer Matt Price struck
him out looking to end the frame. Price recorded his 20th save of
the season to preserve the title.
"We stuck with our approach, but
that's the game of baseball," Adams said. "Some days you can come
out on top but others days you look like a fool. All you can do is
say 'what if.'"
South Carolina players celebrate after beating Florida 5-2 in Game 2 of the NCAA baseball College World Series best-of-three finals.
