Saturday’s series finale against the Gamecocks was set to be a one-game playoff, but now it will hold no meaning.
The Gators entered the three-game set tied with No. 6 South Carolina (42-13, 20-9 Southeastern Conference) for the SEC lead, but after Thursday’s victory they needed to take just one of the remaining two games to finish atop the conference.
They didn’t waste any time.
No. 4 Florida (40-12, 22-7 SEC) clinched the SEC regular-season title, the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament and its sixth straight series with a 5-2 win in front of a record 8,242 Gamecocks fans Friday – effectively killing any importance Saturday’s game carried.
“This was our first goal. We set out before the season started to win the SEC championship and we’ve done that. Now we have other goals ahead of us,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
After center fielder Matt den Dekker caught the final out off the bat of South Carolina first baseman Christian Walker, a dogpile ensued on the mound.
“I think Nolan (Fontana) might have broken my jaw, but it’s all worth it. It’s an amazing feeling, I can’t really describe it,” junior Josh Adams said.
But den Dekker didn’t just catch the final out Friday, he also got it started for the Gators.
UF was held hitless through the first three innings by starting pitcher Sam Dyson. But den Dekker changed all that in the fourth with a lead-off single. He then stole second and scored the Gators’ first run to tie the game at one.
But the manufactured run didn’t shake Dyson. He went on to retire the next six hitters and pitched into the seventh, when Adams got a hold of him.
The two-time All-SEC second baseman, who went into Saturday’s game with just 32 RBIs and a .216 batting average, came up to the plate in a 2-2 game with runners on second and third. He drilled a double to drive both runs home and gave the Gators a 4-2 advantage – a lead they would never give up.
“We’ve been preaching that non-stop,” O’Sullivan said. “Even though he’s had a tough year, he is going to be remembered as the guy that got three hits and three RBIs to clinch the SEC championship.”
UF closer Kevin Chapman didn’t allow the Gamecocks to mount a comeback after Adams’ double. He earned his second multi-inning save in as many nights and nailed down the victory with 1.2 scoreless frames.
The Gators will play their last game of the regular season Saturday at 4 p.m. With the SEC title already in hand, a lot of the reserves are expected to be in the lineup. O’Sullivan is only planning to use starting pitcher Brian Johnson for one inning.
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
