Here is your SEC Recap for May 16th.
#6 Florida 9 Georgia 3
No. 4 Florida (37-12/20-7 SEC) completed its first sweep of Georgia (14-36/3-22 SEC) at McKethan Stadium since 2000 with a 9-3 victory on Sunday afternoon in front of 4,324 fans. The three-game attendance of 14,619 was the highest for a weekend series in school history. The Gators broke open a 2-1 contest by scoring seven runs with two down in the sixth to remain tied on top of the Southeastern Conference standings entering their final series of the regular season at No. 7 South Carolina (41-11/20-7 SEC).
“We gave up one walk, that was positive,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “(Brian) Johnson had a quality start again, pitching into the sixth, and really battled when (Zach) Cone had the leadoff double. At that point it was a 2-1 game and (Jeff) Barfield came in and did a great job. I also thought (Anthony) DeSclafani was outstanding and that his stuff was good today. That’s encouraging.”
#13 South Carolina 5 #10 Arkansas 3
Fayetteville, Ark. – Whit Merrifield homered twice including a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning and five Gamecock relievers combined for six scoreless innings as South Carolina defeated Arkansas 5-3 on Sunday afternoon to sweep a three-game series at Baum Stadium. The win improves the Gamecocks to 41-11 and 20-7 in the SEC while the loss drops Arkansas to 38-14 and 16-11 in conference play. South Carolina returns to action on Tuesday night hosting Furman with first pitch at 7 p.m. at Carolina Stadium. The game will be televised live on SportSouth and can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network and at GamecocksOnline.com. The Gamecocks are tied for first with Florida in the SEC heading into the final weekend of conference play and will host the Gators beginning on Thursday night at Carolina Stadium.
Trailing by a run, the Gamecocks made their move in the top of the eighth inning. With reliever Jordan Pratt into the game for Arkansas, leadoff hitter Scott Wingo drew a walk on four pitches. With a full count, Merrifield drove a two-run homer to left center for his second homer of the game and 12th of the season giving the Gamecocks a one-run lead. The Gamecocks added some key insurance as Adrian Morales drove a solo homer to left center, his fifth of the season to give South Carolina a 5-3 lead.
South Carolina Recap
Arkansas Recap
#17 Vanderbilt 14 Mississippi State 4
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Vanderbilt used a seven-run fourth inning and a solid pitching performance from Jack Armstrong to cruise past Mississippi State, 14-4, Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.
The Commodores swept the season series for the third consecutive time over the Bulldogs and improved to 39-13 overall and 15-10 in the Southeastern Conference.
Vanderbilt Recap
Mississippi State Recap
Alabama 6 #18 Ole Miss 3
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Junior right hander Nathan Kilcrease tossed his first career complete game, leading Alabama to a 6-3 series-clinching win over the Mississippi Rebels at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Sunday evening.
The Phenix City native pitched the Crimson Tide back into the Southeastern Conference Tournament picture with his 115-pitch performance against the Rebels.
Alabama (31-21, 12-15 SEC) is in a four-way tie with Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee for seventh place in the overall SEC standings. Two of those four teams will advance to the SEC Tournament at Regions Park in Hoover on May 26-30. The Tide travels to Knoxville, Tenn., next weekend for a three-game series with Tennessee, which begins Thursday, May 20, at 6 p.m. (CDT). Kentucky travels to Georgia and LSU hosts Mississippi State.
Kentucky 6 #20 LSU 4
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Trailing by two runs, with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, Kentucky fifth-year senior catcher Marcus Nidiffer – in the final at-bat of his home career – connected on a 3-2 offering from LSU All-American closer Matty Ott, sending the ball soaring over the left-field fence for the game-winning grand slam, with UK sweeping the 20th-ranked Tigers for the first time in 19 years with a 6-4 win Sunday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Nidiffer came to the plate with one out, the bases juiced and Ott on the mound for the Tigers – the defending national champions owning a two-run lead. The native of Bristol, Tenn., worked the count full before connecting on his 10th home run of the season, a no-doubt jack over the left-field fence, sending UK to the sweep of the Tigers. The sweep was just the second sweep over LSU in the history of the program and the first sweep since UK won three games against the Tigers in 1991 in Lexington.
#23 Auburn 9 Tennessee 2
AUBURN, Ala. – Trent Mummey continued his torrid play on Sunday afternoon, belting two more home runs and driving in five runs a day after driving in seven as Auburn claimed a fourth straight SEC series win with a 9-2 victory over Tennessee at Plainsman Park. Grant Dayton limited Tennessee to just two runs in 6 2/3 innings as Auburn improved to 35-17, 17-10 SEC and assured itself of going into the final weekend with a chance at a division title.
"Now we have a chance to win the West and play for a championship, and that’s what it is all about," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. "Grant Dayton did what he has been doing, giving us a chance to win, and Trent was outstanding today."
