Dores Done, Cavs Crumble equals an All-SEC CWS Final

Gamecocks celebrate after walk-off in the 13th against Virgina (AP photo)

Two months after final exams the Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks are set to square off in the College World Series Finals.  Florida clinched their finals birth after defeating Sonny Gray and the number six national seed Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday. Vanderbilt, who was making their first ever trip to Omaha, could not buy a break against the Gators, who have beaten them five of the six times the teams have met this season. After being down 4-1 in the Dores made up two runs in the seventh and tied the game in the top of the eighth.  Unfortunately for Vanderbilt, Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt's ace and 18th overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft, stayed in the game for an inning too long as Vanderbilt surrendered two runs in the bottom of the eighth that proved to be the dagger in Vanderbilt's title hopes.

With the Gators already in the CWS Finals, the late game was an elimination game for the Virginia Cavaliers who gave South Carolina all they could handle.  With 9 innings not being enough, Virgina took the Gamecocks to the bottom of the 13th inning where two consecutive errant fielding throws by Cavaliers closer Cody Winiarski allowed South Carolina pinch runner Adam Matthews to score the winning run.  The Gamecock's received an interesting pitching performance from closer Matt Price, who threw 95 pitches in 5 2/3 innings and thrice loaded the bases (in the 10th, 11th, and 13th) but managed to come away unscathed.  Price's performance wasn't picture perfect by any means, but it was enough to propel the Gamecocks to the College World Series Final where they will attempt to defend their 2010 title. 

The All-SEC Final is an interesting one.  Both teams come into the game without a loss in the tournament, but it seems as though Florida has put teams away convincingly whereas the Gamecocks seem to slide by.  Florida beat Texas 8-4 before going on to beat Vandy 3-1 and 6-4.  However, the Gator wins haven't been as convincing as they would appear. Texas proved to be the worst team in the tournament boasting a meager .184 batting average.  Despite the poor average, the Longhorns managed to score four runs on the Gators.  In the first Vandy game, the Gator defense stepped up, but the offense proved suspect.  The only runs the Gators pushed across were scored on a hanging curve ball that Florida's Preston Tucker (who thus far has been the CWS's most valuable player) promptly deposited over the right field wall.  In their final game against the Dores, the Gator bullpen imploded in the seventh and eighth giving up three runs that tied the ballgame.  Although three runs does not seem like an implosion, I assure you that Vandy should have pushed across at least two more were it not for the "look what I found" balls hit (hard) right at Gator infielders.  The inconsistencies the Gators have shown for three games may come back to haunt them in the series against the Gamecocks

South Carolina on the other hand have problems of their own as the Gamecocks have played multiple games in Omaha to close for comfort.  The Gamecocks, who have currently won fourteen straight College World Series Games, have had to rely on walkoffs in two of their three game.  This type of play can be viewed in one of two ways.  Those that doubt South Carolina see such close games as a sign of weakness believing that if  Carolina were a true championship team they would easily run away with games against lesser opponents.  However, this is not the case.  A team that can play in close games and manage to pull out wins consistently is team that should strike fear into opponents. This Carolina team has shown time and time again that they will not lose their composure in late game situations.  They also seem to have an uncanny knack for getting out of jams (bases loaded in the 10th, 11th and 13th against Virginia) in late game situations.  Despite what many of the experts are saying, I just don't think the Gators have what it takes to beat them.  The series will go three games but in the end the championship trophy will return to Columbia for the second straight year due to the Gamecocks poise and unparallelled ability to pull a W out of thin air.


Marcus