SEATTLE — It was only a short while ago when USC was coming off a dominant 11-5 win against UCLA to win their eighth consecutive series. About two weeks ago, to be exact. However, since then, the team has dropped five of its final seven regular-season games heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
Nevertheless, they did manage to win on Saturday, defeating the Washington Huskies 10-4 in extra innings in their final game of the regular season. The Trojans made sure to put a stamp on this win, scoring six runs in the tenth inning.
“It’s momentum going into the tournament,” USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz said after the victory. “We knew this was kind of a must-win for us. You never want to get swept ever. It was kind of a little gut check, and our boys responded real well.”
With this win, USC finishes the season with a 34-20 overall record and an 18-12 record in conference play. They also finished as the fourth overall seed in the Big Ten, setting them up with a match against No. 9 Penn State on Thursday in their first pool play game of the Big Ten Tournament.
Ethan Hedges, who finished the season as the team’s RBI leader with 54, came through once again in the tenth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, hitting a three-run RBI double to put the Trojans up 7-4. Adrian Lopez would put the finishing touches for USC with a three-run homer later in the tenth inning to make it 10-4. Lopez finished the game with four hits and four RBI.
“That’s the guy who you want at the plate at that moment, “ Stankiewicz said of Hedges.
TOP 10 | ETHAN HEDGES COMES THROUGH!!! BASES CLEARING DOUBLE FOR HEDGY! TROJANS LEAD IN THE 10TH!!!
— USC Baseball (@USC_Baseball) May 17, 2025
USC 7, UW 4#FightOn x @ethan_hedges pic.twitter.com/Ib3o5ylxUn
Despite driving in the go-ahead runs home in the tenth, Hedges wasn’t finished leaving his fingerprints on the game. He took the mound in the bottom half of the inning and shut the door, retiring three straight Huskies to seal the victory for USC. While it wasn’t a save opportunity, Hedges has consistently delivered this year in those crucial situations, collecting nine saves this season for the Trojans—good for the second-most in the Big Ten.
USC left-hander Mason Edwards gave the Trojans exactly what they needed with his outing on Saturday. The sophomore pitcher threw five hitless innings while punching out seven batters. Left-hander Sax Matson, credited with the win, was vital out of the bullpen, throwing two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth.
“Mason Edwards was fantastic,” Stankiewicz said. “It’s good to see him back on his game, we’re gonna need him as we get into this tournament.”
END 4 | You better believe it! Edwards strikes out the side and tallies his seventh K of the afternoon! 🔥
— USC Baseball (@USC_Baseball) May 17, 2025
USC 3, UW 0#FightOn x @MasonJEdwards pic.twitter.com/vUbwO6WBhF
As Stankiewicz alluded to after the game, it’s fair to say the Trojans needed this win, especially after dropping the first two games of the series and managing just four total runs in those contests.
While the Trojans have certainly slowed down in comparison to the hot stretch they were in a couple of weeks ago, it can’t hurt that they bounced back and defeated a gritty Washington Huskies baseball squad.
They will need to put it all together to make a long run in the tournament.