With another heart-pounding finish, the No. 25 USC Trojans extended their historic start to the season, defeating San Diego 7–6 in a 10-inning walk-off thriller at Dedeaux Field to move to 17–0.
USC clinched the victory in the bottom of the 10th when junior infielder Adrian Lopez lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring freshman infielder Logan Honma from third. The streak is now the second-longest in program history behind a 19-game winning streak in 1955.
Sophomore infielder Maximo Martinez kicked things off for the Trojans in the third with a groundout to second to score sophomore infielder Maddox Riske. San Diego struck back, pushing two runs across in the fourth to take a brief 2–1 lead. USC answered immediately in the bottom of the fourth when junior outfielder Andrew Lamb launched a three-run home run to left field, putting the Trojans ahead 4–2. Lamb finished 1-for-4 with three RBI and a walk.
The Trojans added insurance in the sixth when sophomore designated hitter Augie Lopez ripped a double off the wall in right field to score senior outfielder Jack Basseer, giving USC a 5–3 advantage. But San Diego rallied in the seventh, plating three runs to briefly take a 6–5 lead.
USC kept its game-winning hopes alive in the bottom half of the inning. Redshirt freshman outfielder Will Stickney delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 6–6 and send the contest into the late innings.
The Trojans had a chance to end it in the ninth after loading the bases with no outs, but the Toreros escaped after throwing Martinez out at home to force extra innings. USC loaded the bases again in the 10th, and Adrian Lopez’s sacrifice fly finally broke the tie. The win snapped USC’s four-game losing streak against San Diego.
Junior outfielder Kevin Takeuchi extended his 17-game hitting streak with a two-hit night as the Trojans’ offense stayed productive throughout the game.
At the plate, Martinez led USC with a 3-for-5 performance that included two doubles and an RBI. Junior infielder Abbrie Covarrubias added two hits at the top of the lineup, while Augie Lopez and Riske each contributed doubles as USC finished with 13 hits. The Trojans piled up a season-high five doubles.
Despite being limited to six hits, San Diego stayed in the game with timely power, including a home run from senior catcher Jayden Lobliner and a strong performance from graduate outfielder Andrew Gauna, who went 2-for-3 with a double.
USC pieced the game together with eight pitchers on the mound. Graduate LHP Ace Whitehead opened with two scoreless innings in his first start for the Trojans, while sophomore LHP Ben Cushnie delivered two shutout innings in the eighth and ninth to keep the game tied. Redshirt junior RHP Adam Troy earned the win after tossing a scoreless 10th inning. Troy was one of four Trojans to be named to the National Pitcher of the Year watch list.
Trojan pitching has taken the nation by storm, leading the NCAA with a 1.69 ERA. USC also ranks first nationally in opponent batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS against, a testament to both their deep starting rotation and reliable bullpen. All three of USC’s weekend starters — junior LHP Mason Edwards, sophomore RHP Grant Govel and sophomore RHP Andrew Johnson — have been named to the National Pitcher of the Year watch list. Edwards and Govel have also earned both National and Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors. Behind that dominant staff, the Trojans remain one of two undefeated teams in college baseball alongside No. 2 Texas.
With the win, USC continues its best start in program history and will look to keep the momentum swinging when the Trojans leave California for the first time this season to face Northwestern March 13-15.