USC defeats No. 14 UCLA, series now tied at one game

IRVINE, Calif. — The USC baseball team defeated No. 14 UCLA 7–5 at Great Park on Saturday afternoon, evening the series at one game apiece after a narrow 7–6 loss in Friday’s opener. With a win on Sunday, the Trojans could win their eighth series in a row.  

Last week in Minnesota, USC right-hander Caden Aoki had a dominant start when he threw a complete game while only giving up a single run. On Saturday against a nationally ranked UCLA team, he was just as sharp. Aoki threw seven shutout innings, struck out six Bruins, and only issued one walk. He didn’t give up a hit until the third inning, and only gave up four hits in this start. This outing also marked the fourth straight start that Aoki threw at least six innings and punched out at least six batters. 

“It all started with Caden Aoki,” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said after the game in support of his starting pitcher. “The last two weekends, he’s been on it. That ball club can hit. We needed it in a big way.”

Aoki’s recent dominance has proved to be pivotal for USC. Trojan left-hander Caden Hunter, who had been manning down the rotation and enjoying a very successful season, has hit a bit of a cold stretch in his past few starts. Unfortunately for the Trojans, this was also the case in Friday’s series opener against the Bruins, where they lost 6-7. Hunter ultimately threw 3.2 innings while giving up five earned runs on seven hits, issuing five walks, and striking out only two. He has now given up four or more runs and failed to make it into the fifth inning in his last three starts. USC can only hope their lefty starter can get it together soon, as we approach the final weeks of the season. 

While Aoki delivered a phenomenal pitching performance for USC on Saturday, the offense also came out firing, providing run support early.

Andrew Lamb got things started for the Trojans with a solo home run, followed by back-to-back RBI doubles from Jack Besser and Augie Lopez in the second inning. In the fourth, USC added two more runs—Lopez drove in another with a double and later came around to score on a Richard Tejada single. Then in the fifth inning, Adrian Lopez tacked on another run with an RBI single. In the seventh inning, Abbrie Covarrubias would drive in USC’s final run with an infield single. 

UCLA made things interesting in the eighth with a grand slam from Roman Martin, cutting the deficit. Then, with two outs in the ninth, Dean West added an RBI single to make it a two-run game.

Nevertheless, the Trojans would shut the door on the Bruins. 

USC’s RBI leader, Ethan Hedges, was called upon with a runner on to close out the game, and he delivered, earning his ninth save of the season.

“It got crazy at the end, but that’s USC vs. UCLA,” Stankiewicz said in reflection of Saturday’s win. “That’s what we've come to expect. We know that’s gonna happen, and it’ll be that way tomorrow.” 

The Trojans have been on a roll lately, but through the first two games of this series against a tough UCLA squad, they've proven they're more than just a team riding a hot streak.

With a chance to extend their series win streak and take down their nationally ranked crosstown rivals, Sunday’s rubber match is shaping up to be not only a fantastic game for the fans, but also a great test for USC.