Score early. Score often.
The first part of that mantra came easy to the Gators all weekend, but it took until Sunday for them to realize the second.
UF continued its streak of scoring four runs early against No. 8 Mississippi on Sunday, getting four in the second inning, and, instead of cooling off, added six more in later innings on its way to a 10-2 series-clinching victory.
The Gators (17-4, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) did not score after the second inning in their 5-4 loss to the Rebels on Friday night, nor did they score late in their 6-4 win on Saturday.
Sunday's win puts UF in sole possession of first place in the SEC East, one game ahead of Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Of the Gators' 179 runs this year, 71 have come in the first two innings, just shy of 40 percent.
"I didn't really care when we got them. I just wanted to score one more run than they did," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said.
A Mississippi fielding error at second base on what could have been a double play opened the door for UF, and the six-through-nine hitters each followed with RBIs.
Unlike Friday and Saturday, the Gators cushioned their early four-run lead.
Freshman second baseman Josh Adams added breathing room to UF's early lead in the fifth inning, blasting an opposite-field home run into the Gators' bullpen.
"He's killing the ball now," fellow freshman and UF starter Tommy Toledo said. "He's on fire."
Toledo (4-0, 1.93 ERA) had an iffy start to the game, giving up a walk and a single with two outs in the first inning, but recovered to retire the next seven batters on his way to his longest career outing. He hurled for seven innings, spreading six hits and allowing just one run.
The Rebels (15-8, 3-3 SEC) threatened to catch up in a big way in the fourth inning, leading off with a double and then a single to score their first run. But Toledo buckled down and induced three straight pop-ups to end the inning and any promise the frame held for Mississippi.
Mississippi got its leadoff men on in the sixth and seventh innings, but UF shortstop Cole Figueroa aided Toledo by turning double plays each time, including a diving stop.
"I thought it was a base hit off the bat," Toledo said. "I couldn't believe that (Figueroa) turned that."
Left fielder Avery Barnes' single in the fifth inning extended his hitting streak to 13 games - his last game without a hit came on Feb. 29 against Miami. His .400 batting average leads the team.
Mississippi coach Mike Bianco was upset with his squad for losing the series to a team he believes to be worse than his.
"They just play with more confidence, they play harder than us, and that's the disappointing thing," Bianco said of UF. "The disappointing thing is they're not as talented as us."
The Gators sped out of the gates on Saturday, scoring four runs in the first inning off Mississippi's Cody Satterwhite, and never trailed.
Sophomore reliever Kyle Mullaney induced a game-ending double play with two Rebels on base, ending Mississippi's chance at a comeback win for the second consecutive night.
The Gators got a fantastic pitching performance from starter Billy Bullock on Friday night, but it went to waste when Mississippi won the game on a fielding error by UF catcher Buddy Munroe.
Before being pulled after giving up two hits and two runs in the bottom of the ninth, Bullock had allowed only three hits and two runs.
"We played well all weekend, and we should have come out with three wins," Toledo said. "But we were fortunate enough to come out with two of them."
Radio and Internet broadcasts contributed to this report.
