USC defeats Gonzaga to win sixth straight series

IRVINE, Calif. — The USC Trojans defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 11-1 Saturday afternoon to win their sixth straight series.  

The Trojans sealed the victory late with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth, ultimately triggering the 10-run rule. USC holds a 25-14 overall record and currently sits in fifth place in the Big Ten standings. 

First baseman Adrian Lopez continued his hot streak in Saturday's win, driving in three runs and hitting a home run—his second in as many nights—after collecting three hits in the first two games of the series.

“Adrian Lopez had a great weekend hitting the ball well,” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said. “He stepped it up and did a nice job of giving us nice quality at-bats.”

In addition to the USC bats feasting on Saturday, the pitching turned in a strong performance, led by left-hander Dylan Osborne, who started and allowed only a hit and a run in 3.2 innings. However, the lone run came after Osborne exited the game, scoring on a wild pitch by right-hander Jackon Baker in relief. Aside from that blemish, the bullpen trio of Baker, left-hander Sax Matson, and right-hander Brodie Purcell was dominant, combining for 4.1 scoreless innings with seven punchouts. 

“Our relieving core today was on it,” Stankiewicz said. “They did a great job of pumping some strikes and giving us a chance to turn the double play.”

Saturday’s win was a welcome sight for the Trojans after they lost the series opener 6-9, which was played on Thursday rather than Friday due to Easter being on Sunday. 

Coming into this series, left-hander Caden Hunter had been on a roll and one of the best pitchers in the Big Ten with a 3.33 ERA. However, the southpaw struggled with control in the series opener, issuing three walks, seven hits, and four runs in as many innings. His ERA climbed to 3.74, and the outing marked the first time since March 7 that Hunter pitched less than five innings. 

“We’ve got to get Caden Hunter back on again,” Stankiewicz said. “That’s baseball sometimes. Everybody can’t be great every night out.” 

On the other side for the Bulldogs, right-hander Finbar O’Brien came into the series in a rhythm as he enjoyed a season-high 10-strikeout game against Santa Clara in his start prior to facing the Trojans. O’Brien delivered early against USC as he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. However, the Trojans didn’t go out without a fight. Adrian Lopez eventually broke up the no-no with a lead-off triple in the fifth and later scored off a double by catcher Andrew Lamb. USC’s offense ultimately woke up and scored six total runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but Gonzaga’s early barrage proved to be too much in the end. 

Nevertheless, USC quickly flipped the switch with back-to-back wins following Thursday's outing.

In the Trojans' 9-5 victory Friday, the bats got off to a much better start, scoring three runs in the first inning. Right-hander Caden Aoki, who got the start for USC, had a sharp outing as he struck out nine batters with no walks in six innings. Right-hander Andrew Johnson, who came in and relieved Aoki, received the win after pitching the final three innings and only allowing a run. 

“That’s a scrappy ball club. It's tough, they don’t strike out and they compete,” Stankiewicz said about the Bulldogs. “So to come back and get the next two after a tough loss on Thursday, it’s a good step in the right direction.”

As the team heads into the final stretch of the season, Stankiewicz wants his team to focus on one key priority: consistency.

“I think that’s been our nemesis, sometimes we’re not as consistent,” Stankiewicz said. “Competitive at bats, consistent with the strike zone with our pitching staff, playing solid defense, we just gotta play great baseball the rest of the way.” 

Up next for the USC is a road matchup with Long Beach State on Tuesday. 

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. PT.