South Carolina Wins Their Second Straight National Championship

South Carolina is the sixth school to win back to back NCAA National Baseball Championships Tuesday night defeating the Florida Gators 5-2. South Carolina won their 16^th straight game breaking the previous CWS record set by the University of Texas in 1983 and 1984.

South Carolina’s head coach, Ray Turner, turned to Michael Roth (14-3) again to bring home a national championship. Roth started last years championship clinching game for South Carolina and started Tuesday night’s game going 7.2 innings giving up 5 hits and 2 ER for the win. Matt Price threw 1.1 innings for another CWS save; his 20^th on the season.

Karsten Whitson threw 4.2 innings for the Gators but gave up 3 runs, 1 ER, on 4 hits to take the loss. Florida brought everything they had to they mound, having 6 different pitchers make an appearance but they were not able to stop the Gamecocks offensive attack yielding 10 total hits, 5 runs, 3 ER.

The Gamecocks had 7 different batters register a hit and three of those batters with two hits each; 1B Christian Walker 2-4, DH Brady Thomas, SS Peter Mooney 2-3. Monday night’s hero for the Gamecock’s, 2B Scott Wingo, went 1-3 with 2 RBIs to pace the Gamecock attack. Catcher Mike Zunino tried to keep Florida in the game going 3-3 with a solo home run in the 4^th.

South Carolina jumped on Whitson in the 3^rd inning getting a sacrifice fly from Scott Wingo to score SS Peter Mooney. Christian Walker then reached on a fielding error by SS Nolan Fontana scoring Evan Marzilli, and Brady Thomas hit an infield single to 2B scoring Jackie Bradley Jr. Mooney hit a solo home run in the 6^th to add to the Gamecocks lead. Wingo added a RBI single in the 8^th for the games final score.

The SEC has won the last three CWS; LSU 2009, South Carolina 2010 and 2011. The PAC-10 was the last conference to accomplish the same feat winning Arizona 1986 and Stanford in 1987 and 1988. Southern California has won the most consecutive CWS winning 5 straight times from 1970-1974. 

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