No. 11 Gators take series with 6-1 win over No. 9 Gamecocks

South Carolina's feared lineup couldn't match Florida's gritty pitching staff.

Alan Horne and Connor Falkenbach limited No. 9 South Carolina to just five hits as No. 11 Florida took an important three-game series from the Gamecocks with a 6-1 win Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium.

It marked the first time Florida has captured a series from its SEC East rival since 1999. The Gators (19-7, 3-3 SEC) did it with pitching, holding South Carolina to just six runs over the three-game series. The Gators flustered South Carolina by forcing ground balls and playing solid defense.

"We think we're a real good hitting team," Gamecocks right fielder Brendan Winn said. "The Gators pitchers threw very good. They battled hard and just shut us down."

It was a crucial early season series win for Florida. South Carolina (19-5, 2-4) was a preseason pick to win the SEC East, and the Gamecocks won a tiebreaker from Florida for second place in the East last year because it took two of three from the Gators during the regular season.

This time, the Gators took the second and third games after dropping the opener Friday.

"This is huge," said left fielder Gavin Dickey, who was 1-for-3 with a double. "This is a two-game swing. We could have been 2-4 (in the SEC), but now we're 3-3. This was huge to win today."

Florida used just six pitchers in the series, but none threw longer or more efficiently than Falkenbach.

The senior held South Carolina scoreless over the final five innings Sunday in relief of Horne to pick up the win. Falkenbach (1-1) gave up two hits, walked none and struck out one and retired the last seven batters of the game.

"He just paints it," Winn said. "He can locate every single pitch. He's good."

Falkenbach pitched in all three games over the weekend and held the Gamecocks scoreless in 8
total innings of relief.

"I feel like I get better as I throw more and more," Falkenbach said.

Horne, meanwhile, continued to struggle with his consistency as he battles back from Tommy John surgery.

Horne walked four batters and a hit batsman over four innings. To his credit, he gave up only one run on three hits while striking out three. It was Horne's longest outing in three starts after getting battered for five runs in 2
innings in each of his past two starts against Villanova and Ole Miss.

"I came out and had really sporadic control, and I was working with a guy with a tight (strike) zone," Horne said. "That's the way it is on Sundays. It's an offensive world on Sundays. But I was able to work through it ."

The Gators also helped their cause with some spectacular fielding and baserunning - and a little good fortune. In the field, Dickey made a pair of spectacular catches on the warning track in left field, including going over the wall to rob South Carolina's Michael Campbell of a home run in the seventh.

On the base paths, freshman third baseman Brandon McArthur scored from second base on a sacrifice fly to deep center field in the fifth inning.

And then there was another sign that the ball was bouncing Florida's way. Jeff Corsaletti's solo home run in the third inning bounced off the top of the wall in right field before going over the fence.

"I thought we were very opportunistic," Florida coach Pat McMahon said.

You can reach Brandon Zimmerman at 374-5051 or zimmerb@gvillesun.com.