The Trojans have competed in some intense and competitive games all week, displaying top tier talent and athleticism. Here are the five best.
5. Shaiquan Dunn wins the men’s college/open shot put
Kicking off this week’s list is freshman Shaiquan Dunn who won the men’s college/open shot put with a mark of 58-2.00 at the Mt. Sac Relays. Dunn’s win in the competition added to USC’s total of racking up firsts and winning five events at the Mt. Sac Relays. Although there were no records or times broken, a win is still a win, which is why Dunn lands at No. 5 this week.
4. Adrian Lopez’s double-run homer
Coming in at No. 4 is sophomore infielder Adrian Lopez, who absolutely demolished a ball into right center field to score a two-run homer against Gonzaga. It was the bottom of the fifth inning and, although the Trojans had a reasonably comfortable 4-1 lead, Lopez grew that lead substantially to 6-1 with his hit. There is a big difference between being down three and being down five, so the Bulldogs would’ve kept trailing even with a grand slam. This was a dagger in the heart for Gonzaga and helped the Trojans secure the win.
3. Jack Baseer’s two-run homer extends the Trojans lead
Moving up into the top three is junior outfielder Jack Basser, who extended the Trojans’ lead to 4-1 over Gonzaga with his two-run home run. In the bottom of the fourth with two outs, Baseer stepped up to not only keep the inning alive, but also ensure the Trojans walked away with points as he demolished the ball out of the field. At this point in the game, the Bulldogs were looking to come back from being down 2-0 after scoring a run in the top of the fourth, so Baseer’s homer was really the first step in USC putting the game out of reach and ending the game with an 11-1 win, which is why it landed at No. 3 on the list this week.
2. Kevin Takeuchi get his first homer of the year at the right time
At No. 2 is sophomore infielder Kevin Takeuchi’s solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to break the gridlock tie of 4-4 against Gonzaga. Up to this point in the game, it was looking like the Bulldogs would stage a comeback after being down 4-1 in the early innings, but Takeuchi made sure to stop that from happening. The pressure ramps up in these moments when it looks like you’re about to blow your lead and the other team has all the momentum, but with all that against the Trojans, Takeuchi couldn’t have delivered his first home run of the season at a better time to help the Trojans get the 9-5 win over Gonzaga.
1. Women’s 4x100m relay team wins with an NCAA-leading time
Home runs and wins are cool, but what’s even better is showing you’re the best competitor out there, which is what the women’s 4x100m relay team did at the Mt. Sac Relays. The relay team of senior Samihah Moody, junior Dajaz DeFrand, sophomore Madison Whyte and junior Jassani Carter kicked off the meet with a statement win in the elite 4x100m competition with a time of 42.36, which is also now the NCAA-leading time. Talk about setting the tone, there is nowhere else I could put a team that showed why they’re the best anywhere but at the No. 1 spot.
Logan’s Trojan Top 5 comes out every week.