SB Nation Tampa Bay - SEC Conference Tournament 2012: Gators Try To Avoid Eliminationhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49019/tb-fave.png2012-05-26T10:30:31-04:00http://tampabay.sbnation.com/rss/stream/28023352012-05-26T10:30:31-04:002012-05-26T10:30:31-04:00SEC Baseball Tournament 2012: Florida Gators Eliminates South Carolina, Facing Vanderbilt Next
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<p>An 11-hit performance and the first career complete game pitched by junior Brian Johnson led the Florida Gators to a 7-2 elimination victory over South Carolina on Friday night, pitting the No. 2-seed Gators against Vanderbilt on Saturday in the semifinal round of the SEC baseball tournament.</p>
<p>Junior Mike Zunino went 1-for-3 at the plate while driving in three runs, which was highlighted by a two-run blast in the third inning. Nolan Fontana, who went 2-for-3, scored three runs out of the leadoff spot and freshman Casey Turgeon (2-for-4) hit a two-run single during a three-run fifth inning.</p>
<p>Florida and Vanderbilt will play right after Kentucky and Mississippi State go head-to-head. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Karsten Whiston (3-0, 3.07 ERA) will take the mound for the Gators, while lefty Kevin Ziomek (5-6, 4.79 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for the Commodores.</p>
<p>The winners of the Saturday's game will face each other on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET for the SEC tournament championship. The title game will broadcast on ESPN2.</p>
<p><i>Read more on Florida athletics at </i><a href="http://alligatorarmy.com"><i>Alligator Army</i></a><i> and for more on he college baseball tournaments, check out <a href="http://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/5/22/3036368/ncaa-baseball-conference-tournament-2012-sec-acc-big-east-cusa">this StoryStream</a>.</i></p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/5/26/3044875/sec-conference-baseball-tournament-2012-florida-gators-eliminatesBrandon Scott2012-05-25T23:22:19-04:002012-05-25T23:22:19-04:00Florida Vs. South Carolina, 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament: Gators Advance On Brian Johnson Complete Game
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<p>The Florida Gators stayed alive in the SEC Baseball Tournament on Friday night, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 7-2. Gators' started Brian Johnson was fabulous, pitching a complete game to advance UF into the SEC semifinals. Johnson walked no one in nine innings, allowing just two runs on five hits. The Gamecocks got one in the bottom of the 9th, but with Johnson cruising, the result seemed well-in-hand.</p>
<p>On offense, it was catcher Mike Zunino who did plenty of damage with three RBIs. The Gators scored at least one run in each of the first three innings, and it was Zunino who gave them the 4-0 lead with a two-run shot in the top of the third. Casey Turgeon also added two RBIs, blowing the lead out to seven during a final rally in the 5th inning.</p>
<p>Florida will now move on to the semifinals for a rematch against Vanderbilt on Saturday. Vandy narrowly defeated UF, 2-1, on Thursday night.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Florida in the SEC tournament, check out <a href="http://www.alligatorarmy.com/">Alligator Army</a>.</i></p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/5/25/3044424/south-carolina-vs-florida-2012-sec-baseball-tournamentBrendan Porath2012-05-25T14:56:41-04:002012-05-25T14:56:41-04:00SEC Baseball Tournament 2012: Florida Gators Take On South Carolina
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<p>The Florida Gators earned the No. 3 seed in the 2012 SEC baseball tournament, knocking out the Auburn Tigers in the first round with a 6-1 win. The Gators moved on to face Vanderbilt in the next round, but couldn't quite muster enough runs in the pitching battle to pull away with the victory, losing 2-1 on Thursday.</p>
<p>On Friday afternoon the Gators will now take on the South Carolina Gamecocks for the chance to advance in the tournament. If the Gators lose, they'll be eliminated, but if Florida wins they'll move on to the Semifinals. In the semis, the Gators would get a rematch with Vanderbilt and have the chance to move on to the SEC Championship Game on Sunday.</p>
<p><b>Game Time:</b> Friday May 25, 3:00 p.m. ET</p>
<p><b>Location:</b> Regions Park, Hoover, AL</p>
<p><b>TV:</b> CSS Television Network</p>
<p><i>For more on the Florida in the SEC tournament, check out <a href="http://www.alligatorarmy.com/">Alligator Army</a>.</i></p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/5/25/3043667/sec-baseball-tournament-2012-florida-gators-vs-south-carolina-previewAlfie Crow2012-05-25T08:01:10-04:002012-05-25T08:01:10-04:00Florida Vs. Vanderbilt, 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament: Gators Offense Quiet In 2-1 Loss To Vandy
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<p>The Florida Gators dropped their second game of the SEC Baseball Tournament on Thursday night, losing a well-pitched game to Vanderbilt at Regions Park in Hoover, Alabama. The Gators' offense simply could not get anything going against the Commodores, who sent Sam Selman to the mound. The Vandy starter allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings.</p>
<p>With Selman finally out of the game, Florida finally got on the board in the the top of the 7th. But even then, the Gators had to do it the hard way, manufacturing a run by taking advantage of a throwing error on a pick-off attempt. Nolan Fontana led off the inning with single against Vandy reliever Tyler Beede. He then advanced to third on the throwing error and was knocked in on a Preston Tucker sacrifice fly to right. But that would close the books on the Florida offense.</p>
<p>The Gators now move on to play an elimination game against South Carolina on Friday. Vandy advanced to the semifinals, where they will await the winner of that clash between two of the league's top teams in the Gators and Gamecocks.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Florida in the SEC tournament, check out <a href="http://www.alligatorarmy.com/">Alligator Army</a>.</i></p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/5/25/3042459/vanderbilt-vs-florida-2012-sec-baseball-tournamentBrendan Porath2012-05-24T09:50:20-04:002012-05-24T09:50:20-04:002012 SEC Baseball Tournament: Gators Return To Action Against Vanderbilt
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<p>After earning a day off with a 6-1 win over the No. 10 Auburn Tigers, the No. 3 Florida Gators return to action as they take on the No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores on the third day of SEC tournament play. The time of the game depends on when No. 2 South Carolina and Auburn, who start play at 4:30 p.m., finish.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt won their first two games -- against No. 8 Georgia and South Carolina -- so the winner of this matchup will earn a spot in the semifinals on Saturday. The loser will play the winner of today's South Carolina–Auburn game in an elimination game tomorrow. Florida swept the season series against Vanderbilt, winning all three games in Gainesville by a combined score of 23-5 in mid-March.</p>
<p>All SEC tournament games are being played at Region's Park in Hoover, Alabama, and will be televised on SportsSouth, Sun Sports, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Houston and FOX Sports South in Kentucky.</p>
<p>Today's full SEC schedule:</p>
<p>9:30 a.m.: No. 1 LSU Vs. No. 9 Ole Miss</p>
<p>T.B.D.: No. 7 Mississippi State Vs. No. 4 Kentucky</p>
<p>4:30 p.m.: No. 2 South Carolina Vs. No. 10 Auburn</p>
<p>T.B.D.: No. 5 Vanderbilt Vs. No. 3 Florida</p>
<p><i>For more on the Florida in the SEC tournament, check out <a href="http://www.alligatorarmy.com/">Alligator Army</a>.</i></p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/5/24/3040681/2012-sec-baseball-tournament-florida-gators-vanderbilt-commodoresRyan O'Hanlon2012-05-22T20:56:09-04:002012-05-22T20:56:09-04:00Florida Vs. Auburn, 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament: Gators Advance With 6-1 Win Over Tigers
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<p>The No. 3 seed Florida Gators took care of business in their first game of the 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament, moving past Auburn with a 6-1 win. The Gators are currently ranked second in the nation and were expected to get past Auburn without much of a struggle. Johnathan Crawford was impressive on the mound, striking out nine and allowing just two hits in 5.2 innings pitched. Crawford handed the ball over to his bullpen in the 6th inning, and Austin Maddox, Greg Larson, and Steven Rodriguez finished it off with a scoreless 3.1 innings of work.</p>
<p>On offense, the Gators got to Tigers' starter Jon Luke Jacobs early on with two runs in the second. Justin Shafer led the offense with a two-hit evening, driving in three runs for the Gators. Cleanup hitter Casey Turgeon knocked in two runs as well to propel Florida to the comfortable 6-1 win.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Florida in the SEC tournament, check out <a href="http://www.alligatorarmy.com/">Alligator Army</a>.</i></p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/5/22/3037640/florida-vs-auburn-2012-sec-baseball-tournament-gators-advance-with-6Brendan Porath2012-05-22T08:37:05-04:002012-05-22T08:37:05-04:00SEC Baseball Tournament 2012, Florida: Third-Seeded Gators Take On Auburn In First Round
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<p>The No. 3 Florida Gators open SEC postseason play against the No. 10 Auburn Tigers.</p> <p>A year after losing to South Carolina in the finals of the College World Series, the Florida Gators begin the 2012 postseason hoping to take the journey one step further. Ranked second in the nation, the Gators are the three seed in the SEC tournament, where they'll take on the 10th-seeded Auburn Tigers in the first round</p>
<p>Florida comes into SEC post-season play with a 40-16 overall record and an 18-12 mark in conference. They're led by junior catcher Mike Zunino, the reigning SEC Player of the Year. Zunino registered a .324 batting average, 15 home runs and 51 RBIs during the regular season -- all of which lead the team.</p>
<p>The Gators will take on the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. today at Region's Park in Hoover, Alabama. The game will be televised on SportsSouth, Sun Sports, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Houston and FOX Sports South in Kentucky.</p>
<p>The rest of today's SEC tournament schedule:</p>
<p>9:30 a.m.: No. 4 Kentucky Vs. No. 9 Ole Miss</p>
<p>T.B.D.: No. 6 Arkansas Vs. No. 7 Mississippi State</p>
<p>T.B.D.: No. 5 Vanderbilt Vs. No. 8 Georgia</p>
<p><i>For more on the Florida in the SEC tournament, check out <a href="http://www.alligatorarmy.com/">Alligator Army</a>.</i></p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/5/22/3036025/sec-baseball-tournament-2012-florida-third-seeded-gators-take-onRyan O'Hanlon