After a remarkable no-hitter Saturday night, USC baseball was ready to keep up the defense and get the bats swinging to end its home-opening series with a sweep.
Junior right-hander Andrew Johnson gave the Trojans exactly what they needed to help secure a third straight win over Pepperdine in his first start of the season. Johnson looked comfortable from the jump as he retired the first three Waves and did not issue a single walk all afternoon. He finished with five strikeouts across five innings.
The USC offense found some rhythm in the third inning. After junior first baseman Dean Carpentier reached third base, junior catcher Isaac Cadena came through with an RBI to put the Trojans on the board.
The fourth inning is where things really opened up. With the bases loaded and a full count, junior second baseman Abbrie Covarrubias drew a walk to bring in a run. Cadena followed with another RBI, and USC kept pressing, turning walks and hit-by-pitches into real damage. By the end of the inning, the Trojans had built a 6–0 lead and completely set the tone for a forceful presence.
It was a tough seventh inning for USC with junior left-hander Sax Matson on the mound. Huge waves crashed as Pepperdine flipped the energy of the game and tacked on four runs off base hits and defensive mistakes from junior third baseman Adrian Lopez.
But this hard patch did not pin them against one another.
The Trojans powered through in the eighth. Senior right fielder Jack Basseer launched his first home run of the season, bringing the momentum back in the Trojans’ favor. USC sealed the 8–5 victory with three straight strikeouts to end the game.
When asked about the team’s dynamic, Johnson said, “Everybody has your back every day. They want to see you do good. We want to see everybody do good.”
After the game, head coach Andy Stankiewicz reflected on this series and shared that he believes the team’s fire is beginning to spark.
“We’ve got 53 more games in front of us. We’ve got a long way to go,” Stankiewicz said. “So we’re just telling the guys, hey, it’s a great weekend, but we’ve got to be more offensive. Our offense has got to get more consistent.”
“Starting pitching, this entire series was dominant…combined for 16 scoreless innings,” he added. “I think it gives them confidence.”
Strong pitching, disciplined at-bats, and timely execution defined the afternoon as the Trojans closed out their home-opening series with confidence.
After this big weekend, USC is now tied for second in the Big Ten, alongside Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Ohio State.
The Trojans next fight is against LMU on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at home.