Florida held on to win Game 1 of the Super Regionals round against South Carolina on Friday night in Gainesville, and now will look to punch its ticket to Omaha, Nebraska and the College World Series on Saturday.
The Gators are slight favorites even though the hosts are the "visitors" for this series, yet the odds are nearly identical for Game 2, is that warranted? Let's dive into the odds for this must win spot for South Carolina and see if we'll get a Game 3 on Sunday:
Florida vs. South Carolina odds, run line and total
Florida vs. South Carolina prediction and pick
South Carolina took the three regular season meetings off the Gators, and played right with the hosts on Friday, losing 5-4 despite tallying the same amount of hits (11). It was a back-and-forth matchup and I expect each team's pitching staff to be at full strength after both starters went at least five innings and only used two relievers.
The Gamecocks have as much pop in the lineup as the Gators, evident on Friday with a ninth inning home run that pulled South Carolina within one run. South Carolina was seventh in home runs per game in the regular season while Florida was sixth.
The Gators are projected to start Hurston Waldrep, who posted a near 5.00 ERA this season and could be vulnerable to the loaded South Carolina lineup.
Meanwhile, South Carolina will likely counter with Jack Mahoney, who has kept his ERA under 4.00 at 3.94 on the year. This matchup played out earlier this season with Mahoney pitching five innings of two run baseball while Waldrep allowed five earned runs and two home runs in six innings of work.
I'll take South Carolina as "home" underdogs to extend its season.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
