Junior left-handed pitcher Mason Edwards set the tone on Friday night, continuing his excellent start to the season with six no-hit innings and 11 strikeouts in a 5-0 shutout against Rice.
Edwards’ standout performance was aided by a strong Trojans offense. Redshirt freshman outfielder Will Stickney entered the batter’s box for the first time in his collegiate career and crushed a home run over the left field fence to give USC a lead in the third inning.
“He’s worked hard,” USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz said. “This is the testament to good practice.”
Stickney was merely the tip of USC’s offensive spear. Junior center fielder Kevin Takeuchi drove in a run on a double in the 4th inning to extend the lead to 2-0.
Despite USC’s offensive spark, the story of the night kept coming back to Edwards.
The two walks to Rice’s leadoff sophomore shortstop Hiram Bocachica Jr. were the only times Edwards allowed a baserunner. Always quick to recover, Edwards followed each walk with a quick out to limit damage.
“I can’t say enough about the job he did in the first two outings,” Stankiewicz said. “He’s got himself in a pretty good position. He’s establishing himself as a pretty good pitcher.”
According to Edwards, his pitch mix included a fastball, changeup, curveball and an occasional slider. His most dominant pitch was his curveball which helped him gain control over the Owls’ lineup.
”Found out the curveball is kind of where I’m going with it,” Edwards said. “The hitters were showing trouble with it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Edwards was taken out after the 6th inning. Freshman right-handed pitcher Gavin Lauridsen came in and gave up a hit against his first batter, sophomore third baseman Cole Green, to end the no-hit bid. USC’s defense backed Lauridsen up with a double play the next batter.
The door for a comeback from Rice was still open until the Trojans slammed it shut in the seventh inning. After a pair of walks and a single loaded the bases, junior infielder Adrian Lopez hit a two-run single. A wild pitch in the next at-bat made it 5-0 to give USC breathing room heading into the final innings.
Lauridsen stayed in the game and got the save to secure the Trojans’ 5-0 start to the season.
“We’re 5 games in, but it’s an extremely good start,” Stankiewicz said. “If you pitch well, you’re gonna put yourself in a good position.”
With Edwards on the bump, pitching like this, USC will be in a good position for the rest of the season.
USC will close out the series against Rice on Saturday and Sunday before starting a four-game series against Cal Poly on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 6:05 p.m.