With Will McGillis in lineup, South Carolina baseball still has slugger's chance vs Florida

Baseball is officially fun again for South Carolina.

Perhaps not quite as enjoyable as it was for Florida on Friday night in Gainesville, given the Gators’ 5-4 victory against the Gamecocks in the first game of a best-of-three super regional, but fun nonetheless.

This was, after all, a team that was struggling mightily to find itself after closing the regular season with 14 defeats in its final 24 games.

But the Gamecocks entered the super regional on an emotional high following a decisive run through their own regional, buoyed by having overcome a heavy dose of injuries and adversity to stake a claim to their first College World Series berth since 2012.

South Carolina (42-20) actually swept the Gators (49-15) in a series in late April in Columbia, but things tend to not come as easily when the venue is changed, as the Gamecocks found out Friday night.

Yet despite having lost 12 of their previous 15 games at Florida, Kingston’s team didn’t appear to be overwhelmed by the moment.

The game began with a blast – literally.

South Carolina designated hitter Will McGillis deposited the second pitch he saw from Florida starter Brandon Sproat into the darkness beyond the left-field bleachers and the fun was on.

Between the Gamecocks and Gators there were 11 players with double-figure home runs this season, so it wasn’t a good idea for pitchers to groove a fastball down the middle.

The game quickly resembled a heavyweight fight, with the teams exchanging blows like a couple of body-punching sluggers intent on emerging victorious. It was a game befitting two of the nation’s top home run-hitting teams – six of the game’s nine runs were produced by the long ball.

That should have come as no surprise because that’s the way the majority of the teams in the SEC roll. Four of the league’s teams rank in the top 10 nationally in home runs, with Florida third nationally, LSU fourth, Tennessee sixth and South Carolina ninth.

When SEC teams get together, rest assured the long ball is going to impact the game.

Some teams like to “small ball” you to death, scratching out runs with a steady diet of walks, singles, bunts and stolen bases, which is all fine and good. But there’s something much different about a home run.

For the home run hitter and his team, the long ball is an instant adrenaline boost – a shot that sends the emotions soaring, energizes a dugout and thrills the home fans.

For the pitcher who yielded the homer and his team, surrendering a 470-foot blast is a blow to the psyche – a psychological punch to the gut, if you will.

It’s something akin to a slam dunk in basketball, a service ace in tennis or a perfectly timed uppercut in boxing.

The Gators had three homers, including a 446-foot shot by BT Riopelle in the fifth inning that left South Carolina pitcher Will Sanders lamenting his offering.

“He’s been hot and every hit that he has goes over the fence,” Sanders said.

Sanders wasn’t exaggerating. Six of Riopelle’s last seven hits have been home runs.

It also was fitting that McGillis hit the final pitch he saw Friday just to the right of the left-field bleachers, cutting the final deficit to a single run and pushing the game’s home run total to five.

Florida obviously holds the upper hand and can send the Gamecocks packing with a victory either Saturday (ESPN2, 3 p.m.) or Sunday.

But armed with plenty of home run power and a healthy dose of recently regained confidence, South Carolina has recaptured much of the mettle that provided a 28-3 start to the season.

Swagger? It’s back, despite the defeat.

“It was a helluva ballgame,” South Carolina coach Mark Kingston said. “We’re disappointed we didn’t come out on top, but we can’t wait to get back to the ballpark tomorrow.”

EARLY DEFEAT: South Carolina baseball falls to Florida 5-4 in Game 1 of NCAA Tournament super regional

ON A MISSION: Why super regional vs Florida is personal for South Carolina baseball pitcher Will Sanders

Call it a slugger’s chance.

When two teams capable of sending balls out of the ballpark with such frequency get together, one never knows what might unfold, and that’s what Kingston is counting on.

Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina baseball has slugger's chance vs Florida with Will McGillis