Friday: Sacramento State, L 6-3
The Hornets and Trojans went scoreless in the first three innings, but USC claimed a 2-1 lead against Sacramento State by the bottom of the fifth frame. Sac State responded at the top of the sixth inning with three unearned runs after sophomore utility Jaxon Byrd hit a homer to right field.
After walking in the home half of the seventh, USC freshman outfielder Brayden Dowd managed to steal second base and scramble to third after a Hornets throwing error. Freshman infielder Dean Carpentier singled to left field, as Dowd scored the Trojans’ last run of the game.
However, Sac State wasn’t ready to call it a day and brought home two runs for insurance in the top of the ninth, finishing USC off 6-3.
Saturday: Santa Clara, W 12-11
The Trojan offense led a momentum shift on Saturday against Santa Clara after trailing 7-1 by the bottom of the third inning and 10-5 by the bottom of the seventh.
The Trojans and Broncos each scored a run in the first inning, but Santa Clara kicked it into gear in the third inning, scoring six runs on six hits. USC countered with four runs of its own in the inning, but didn’t score again until the seventh.
The seventh-inning stretch is just what the Trojans needed to turn the tide over. A series of doubles from sophomore infielder Ethan Hedges and Carpentier sent senior infielder Ryan Jackson, sophomore catcher Jacob Galloway, Hedges and freshman infielder Kevin Takeuchi across the plate.
Freshman infielder Abbrie Covarrubias’ single drove Carpentier in and squashed the Broncos’ lead, making it a tie game heading into the eighth inning.
But a Hornets run in the top of the eighth wasn’t enough, as the Trojans notched two runs of their own to secure the 12-11 win and sent the Broncos home, just not to home plate.
It was a great night for the Trojan offense, as its .405 batting average was USC’s second-highest mark of the season in a game. But, on the other side of the field, the Trojans’ defense struggled to capitalize on plays, sending six relief pitchers to the hill and recording their second-highest single-game ERA of the season.
“Sometimes when the pitching staff’s not going well, we need the offense to pick it up and vice versa,” head coach Andy Stankiewicz said on Sunday. “I think [Saturday] was a good lesson for our offense. Like, ‘Hey, it doesn’t matter. Just keep getting good at-bats together, and we’ll get ourselves back into it.’”
Sunday: Sacramento State, L 5-4
The Hornets were the first on the scoreboard after a wild pitch from junior pitcher William Watson sent Sac State sophomore infielder JP Smith running home.
As for USC, the Hornets’ rotating list of pitchers kept the team off the board until the fourth inning. Carpentier started the home half of the fourth with a walk, but soon found himself on third after a series of throwing errors from the Hornet defense.
Stankiewicz held off on the bullpen until the top of the sixth, sending in sophomore pitcher Michael Ebner for relief for the third time in the past week. The Trojans’ pitching staff has had to adjust to junior pitcher Caden Aoki’s injury absence and two five-game weeks in the past three weeks.
“Guys are stepping up,” Stankieweiz said. “They understand that Caden’s out. When you have your Friday night guy out, it kind of stretches out your bullpen a little bit more, but it can’t be an excuse, and we won’t let it be an excuse.”
USC entered the fourth inning only down by one, but Watson’s first walk of the game set the Broncos up for a series of lucrative plays. With Sac State senior infielderJorge Bojorquez on first and Smith on second, junior outfielder Matt Masciangelo’s single to shortstop loaded the bases for senior outfielder Cesar Valero’s at-bat. Valero and freshman infielder Cameron Sewell’s back-to-back singles drove in three Hornets.
At the other end of the fourth, hits by Takeuchi and Dowd set up batters on second and third base with Hedges up to bat. Takeuchi took Hedges’ single as an opportunity to score, and Dowd trailed behind, scoring on the next play after Carpentier sent a sacrifice fly to center field. Freshman outfielder Riley Hunsaker and graduate catcher Connor Clift’s back-to-back strikeouts were the first ones of the game for USC and closed out the inning.
The Hornets stung one last time in the sixth inning. USC nearly caught up to Sac State’s five runs, but a strikeout from Hedges left Takeuchi on third and the Hornets celebrating a 5-4 win.
“I think today’s game, we should have a better offense,” Stankiewicz said. “I just thought we had a lot of lazy fly balls today. … When we hit the ball on the ground, we put pressure on the defense.”
It’s been a season of adjustments for a Trojan team without a true home stadium to practice or play at, but Watson remains optimistic about the team’s positioning at this point in the season.
“I think we’re playing better ball than the first part of the season, for sure,” Watson said. “Right now, I think we’re in a good spot to stay high in the conference rankings. … We just need to stay more consistent on both ends, just hitting and pitching. I think when we go out there, just play with full intent and play your hearts out like it’s the last day you’ll be out there.”
USC plays at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and then heads to Arizona State this weekend for a conference series starting Friday at 6:30 p.m.