COLUMBIA, S.C. — Josh Adams had a tie breaking two-run double in the seventh inning to lift Florida to the Southeastern Conference championship with a 5-2 victory over South Carolina on Friday night.
The Gators (40-12) took the opening two games of the showdown series to earn their first league title since 2005. The teams conclude the regular season Saturday. The Gamecocks (42-13) had hoped that Sam Dyson’s arm and a record-setting crowd of 8,242 at two-year old Carolina Stadium would force a one-game battle for the crown on Saturday. Instead, Florida used the same combination of timely hitting and a lockdown bullpen as it did on Thursday to put away South Carolina again. Adams, who entered the game batting .216, had the biggest hit, a two-out double that scored Bryson Smith and Daniel Pigott with the decisive runs. The Florida junior also doubled and scored the tying run in the sixth and added an RBI single in the ninth. Gator relievers Steven Rodriguez, Greg Larson and Kevin Chapman allowed just two singles in 3 2-3 innings of work. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
