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<p>UF's JJ Schwarz rounds third base during Florida's 12-5 win against South Carolina on April 11, 2015 at McKethan Stadium.</p>

UF's JJ Schwarz rounds third base during Florida's 12-5 win against South Carolina on April 11, 2015 at McKethan Stadium.

JJ Schwarz's bat was relatively silent through the first two games of Florida’s home series against South Carolina.

After hitting a school-record four home runs against Stetson on Tuesday, the freshman catcher/designated hitter went a combined 2-for-7 at the plate with just one home run.

That changed on Sunday.

Schwarz belted out two more home runs in the series finale as the No. 10 Gators defeated the Gamecocks 12-2 at McKethan Stadium to complete their first Southeastern Conference series sweep.

Schwarz finished the four-game week — including Tuesday's Stetson win — with seven home runs, 15 RBIs, 12 runs and a 1.882 slugging percentage.

"I don’t know if anything will come close (to my performance this week)," Schwarz said. "That was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Florida (28-9, 9-6 SEC) opened scoring Sunday with a four-run second inning and increased its lead over South Carolina (23-14, 6-9 SEC) to 7-0 after a Schwarz home run in the fourth inning and back-to-back RBI singles by Mike Rivera and Ryan Larson in the fifth.

Both Rivera and Larson knocked down three hits on Sunday as Florida’s eight and nine hitters.

UF pitcher Alex Faedo, making his first career SEC start, had a perfect game through the fourth inning before giving up a double in the fifth.

The freshman righty improved his record to 3-1 on the year after tossing 5.2 innings and striking out six batters — both career highs — while giving up just two hits and one run.

"The older guys helped me prepare a lot for it and they gave me a lot of advice before the game," Faedo said.

Added UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan: "I’ve got a lot of confidence in Alex. He’s going to be a really good pitcher. Today, I think, he showed it. … He made big pitches when he needed to."

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After South Carolina scored its first run of the game on a sixth-inning solo home run by Gene Cone, Florida tacked on three more runs in the sixth and two in the eighth, capped by Schwarz’s second homer of the afternoon.

Schwarz now leads UF and is second in the SEC with 12 home runs this season.

"Every at-bat, it’s don’t go to the bathroom when JJ’s hitting because something special’s going to happen," Larson said.

While Schwarz had the week of his career, he wasn’t the only Florida player to provide valuable contributions at the plate.

The Gators hit .400 as a team against the Gamecocks and have now recorded double-digit hits and runs in four straight games dating back to Tuesday’s game against Stetson.

"I thought overall this was our most complete weekend," O’Sullivan said. "We pitched well. Some guys that may have been struggling should feel better about themselves, about how they did this weekend. Defensively we were great and offensively we were great as well."

Florida continues its schedule with its third regular-season game against No. 8 Florida State on Tuesday.

The Gators and the Seminoles split their first two games of the year, with UF winning 14-8 on March 17 in Gainesville and FSU evening the series with an 8-3 win on March 31 in Jacksonville.

But O’Sullivan isn’t worrying about that game just yet.

"I’m going to take a deep breath and enjoy this one for right now," he said.

Series notes: Florida swept South Carolina for the fifth time in program history and the third time under O’Sullivan. The Gators are now 43-41 all-time against the Gamecocks and 19-11 during O’Sullivan’s eight years. … UF starters accumulated a 3.95 ERA this weekend, while the relief pitchers posted a 3.375 mark. The pitching staff as a whole struck out 23 batters while walking just seven. … Florida hit six home runs this weekend, bringing its season total to 41. … Florida’s defense did not commit an error during the three-game series.

Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126

UF's JJ Schwarz rounds third base during Florida's 12-5 win against South Carolina on April 11, 2015 at McKethan Stadium.

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