Base hits were hard to come by for both Florida and South Carolina in the conference opener, as both teams combined for just two hits heading into the bottom of the tenth frame.
But, Florida’s theme of finding runs without the longball came in full effect. After a leadoff double from sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones, sophomore shortstop Brendan Lawson and senior catcher Karson Bowen were intentionally walked to give the Gators loaded bases, needing just one hit to win.
Then, freshman outfielder Cash Strayer launched a walk-off sacrifice fly ball to score Jones, as Florida (16-3, 1-0 SEC) reigned victorious in the SEC opener against South Carolina (12-7, 0-1 SEC) 1-0 Friday night at Condron Family Ballpark.
It was a duel on the mound between UF junior Liam Peterson and USC junior Josh Gunther. The two combined for three scoreless innings, holding the opposing offenses in check throughout the outing.
South Carolina earned its first hit of the game in the fourth, as fifth-year catcher Talmadge LeCroy singled through the right side. It was all for not, though, as freshman infielder Will Craddock grounded out into a double play.
Both teams went scoreless for the first five innings of play. Gators sophomore shortstop Brendan Lawson was left stranded on second base twice, as both sides continued to search for runs.
Things started to get shaky for Peterson in the sixth. After striking out two Gamecocks, he issued two straight walks on 3-2 counts against junior outfielder Tyler Bak and LeCroy. But, he fanned the next one for his sixth scoreless frame and 10th punch-out.
Florida threatened to score in the sixth, as sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones and Lawson were both walked to put runners on first and second. Then, sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec flew out to send Jones to third.
But, senior catcher Karson Bowen grounded out with two outs to leave them stranded, as the Gators went into the seventh with zero hits as a team.
Sophomore righty Jackson Barberi relieved Peterson on the mound to begin the seventh. Peterson finished with six scoreless innings, logging 10 strikeouts and issuing just two walks and one hit on 99 pitches.
Barberi set the tone, retiring three straight Gamecocks in the seventh to bring it back to Florida’s offense.
But, once again, the bats went cold for the Gators, as freshman infielder Colton Schwarz was ruled out at second base to leave the bags loaded.
Barberi was relieved for senior Ernesto Lugo-Canchola in the eighth frame. The Division-II transfer forced a lineout on his first batter before being subbed for freshman Joshua Whritenour.
Whritenour picked up right where he left off after the FSU game, instantly striking out LeCroy to leave one stranded heading into the bottom of the eighth. However, the Gators came up empty once again as freshman outfielder Cash Strayer struck out with two outs to leave Bowen stranded at first.
The Gamecocks had a real chance to take the lead in the final inning, as Whritenour issued three walks to give USC loaded bases. But, with two outs, junior infielder Patrick Evans was ruled out at second base on a fielder’s choice to leave the bags stranded.
Florida earned its first hit of the night in the bottom of the ninth, as senior infielder Sam Miller singled through the left side. Freshman infielder Kolt Myers, pinch running for Miller, then stole second.
But, with two outs, Schwarz left Myers stranded with a groundout as extra innings were imminent.
Whritenour continued to deal to keep South Carolina out of reach. He earned the win, finishing with three strikeouts and three fly outs in the victory. The offense finally rewarded its pitching, as Strayer’s walk-off sacrifice fly ended a hard-fought matchup in 10 innings of play.
Florida will look to secure the series Saturday at Condron Ballpark with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m.
Contact Adrian Carmona at acarmona@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @abcarmona04.
Adrian is a senior journalism major and the baseball reporter for the Spring of 2026. He previously served as the soccer reporter in the fall of 2025. He enjoys playing Sporcle quizzes and ranting about South Florida sports.
