The No.12 USC Trojans could not keep up with the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ fast-paced offense in a 12-2 run-rule loss Saturday afternoon.
USC never saw a lead in the game, unlike Friday night’s comeback walk-off victory by Nebraska. This afternoon was all Cornhuskers, ending the game with a two rbi single that implemented the ten-run-rule after just seven innings.
Grant Govel took the mound for USC for his tenth start of the season, but could not replicate the exceptional performance from Mason Edwards in the first game of the Nebraska series. Instead, Govel lasted three innings and gave up seven runs off of eight hits with one strikeout.
The Nebraska takeover started with a four-run cascade in the first inning. The Cornhuskers formulated a series of extra-base hits to bring runners home, such as RBI doubles from Jett Buck and Drew Grego. It was a 37-pitch inning from Govel and the first time he's given up a run in the first inning since February 28 against the Cal Poly Mustangs in San Luis Obispo.
The drubbing continued in the third inning with back-to-back solo home runs to right field from Case Sanderson and Dylan Carey. Drew Grego followed suit with a solo home run of his own later in the inning to up the score to 7-0.
USC's Chase Herrell succeeded Govel in the fourth inning, an atypical appearance for the common weekday starter. His most recent weekend showing was against UCLA in the 10-4 loss on April 5. Herrell pitched one inning and gained zero hits against Nebraska before being relieved by Paul Grossman in the fifth.
The Cornhuskers continued to put runners on base, this inning in small-ball fashion. Carey singled up the middle to center field before stealing second and third during Buck's at-bat. Buck then walked and stole second during Grego's at-bat before he drove in the two RBIs off a single to left field.
The Trojans' bats were ineffective nearly the entirety of the ballgame, having obtained just two hits in the first six innings. Adrian Lopez provided USC with their first score off of a solo home run driven to center field in the seventh inning. Richard Tejada doubled to right field and was driven in by Diego Velazquez after a short-hop mishandled by third baseman Joshua Overbeek to make the score 10-2.
But the USC comeback was short-lived after a two-RBI single floated to left field by Trey Fikes put Nebraska up 12-2 in the seventh inning to end the game due to the NCAA's ten-run-rule. The ten-run-rule is applicable in games beginning in the seventh inning, which allowed Nebraska to walk-off against USC in unusual style.
Nebraska starter Carson Jasa pitched a complete game, finishing with five hits, one earned run, and seven strikeouts in the seven-inning matchup. Jasa's high-nineties fastball complemented his off-setting curveball, which left USC batters incapable of extending the game to a full nine innings.
USC will face Nebraska for the final game of the series Sunday at 10 a.m. PST. USC, who now reside in the fifth spot of the Big Ten standings, will look to end their three-game losing streak. Nebraska, sitting in the second spot of the Big Ten standings, hopes to sweep the series and keep their number of home losses to one.