USC baseball had its five-game winning streak snapped by the Oregon Ducks, but it was still able to snatch away a Sunday victory to avoid the series sweep at PK Park in Eugene.
With the series loss, the Trojans are just under .500 with a 17-18 regular season record and 6-7 Pac-12 mark.
USC’s first two losses were due to its cold bats and missed opportunities. The Trojans left a combined total of 16 runners on base across the first two games.
The Trojans started off hot in game one, scoring in the first inning off of an RBI by sophomore infielder Ethan Hedges. But, they couldn’t get the bats going after that first inning to fall 4-1 Friday night. This was not the case for the Ducks, though, as they put up a run in the first three innings.
Things were looking up for the Trojans during the fifth inning, when sophomore catcher Jacob Galloway launched the ball into center field with two runners on base, but it was robbed by Oregon senior outfielder Bryce Boettcher.
The Ducks’ junior pitcher RJ Gordon was a problem for the Trojans, as he was strong during his 8.1 innings pitched. When USC did get opportunities, its bats just couldn’t cash in with runners on base.
This continued until the ninth inning, when the Trojans had a chance to tie the game. Senior infielder Ryan Jackson got a leadoff double, then Hedges drew a walk. With two runners in scoring position, Oregon senior pitcher Logan Mercado came in and got two outs in a row to silence the USC rally and finish the game.
The Trojans looked to turn it around on Saturday, and it looked like they were going to. They started off strong, taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning. But, similarly to game two, the Trojans couldn’t get their bats going late in the game for a 5-3 loss.
Pitching also became a problem for the Trojans, as redshirt sophomore pitcher Eric Hammond had a disappointing start with five walks in just three innings. The Ducks scored their first run in the second inning when Hammond walked junior outfielder Jeffery Heard, then threw a wild pitch so he could advance to second. With Heard in scoring position, redshirt sophomore catcher Anson Aroz drove him in with a double.
The walks continued to hurt the Trojans when, in the bottom of the fourth, Hammond walked Heard again, then Aroz singled. The Trojans replaced Hammond with junior pitcher Fisher Johnson, but he couldn’t stop the Ducks bats with players in scoring position. Oregon put up three runs in the frame.
Just like the day prior, the Trojans had a chance to tie the game when the bases were loaded in the ninth inning. However, they weren’t able to execute again and fell to Oregon for the second time, as Hedges grounded out to close out the game.
The Trojans were able to win the final game of the series on Sunday to avoid the sweep. Sophomore outfielder Austin Overn led the offense, while four pitchers limited the Oregon bats to win 4-2.
“Shoutout those guys, our bats weren’t as hot as we wanted to today,” Overn said about Sunday’s pitching performances. “Thank you to them, because, without them, we would’ve probably gotten smacked.”
After going just 1-for-7 in the series’ first two games, Overn shined in game three against the Ducks. Including a fourth-inning home run, he scored three of USC’s four runs and robbed a home run during the bottom of the fifth to keep the Trojans up.
“I felt like my timing was good, and I stayed disciplined at the plate and found a way to get on,” Overn said.
With the Oregon series behind them, the Trojans have to prepare for two midweek games as they look to return to .500.
“Two midweeks does a toll on our body, so keeping our mental up and finding ways to fight through and win games is going to be huge for us this week,” Overn said.
The Trojans will look to get revenge on the University of San Diego — a team that beat USC 9-3 on April 2 — at Orange County Great Park on Tuesday.