The USC approach, all season, has been “death by a thousand cuts.” The players grind, finding small ways to manufacture momentum on either side of the ball. That strategy was incredibly effective for them Friday night, when they won 5-0 against a Washington Huskies team that struggled with the fundamentals of the game.
Junior starter Mason Edwards was as electric as ever, striking out a career-best 12 batters over six innings, surrendering only one hit.
“I’ve been able to self-reflect and know that I haven’t thrown my best stuff yet…there’s a lot more to come,” Edwards said after the game. “I think the first inning was probably the best stuff I’ve thrown [this season].”
At the plate, the No. 13 Trojans chipped away at the Huskies’ junior starter Noah Kenney, forcing him to throw 27 pitches to six batters in the first inning. Taxing the righty early started to pay off in the third inning.
Kenney hit junior second baseman Abbrie Covarrubias with a pitch to lead off the inning, beginning a symphony of errors for the Huskies that ultimately cost them the game.
Sophomore third baseman Maximo Martinez followed up with a ground ball to senior shortstop Sam DeCarlo, who errantly threw the ball out of play. With runners in scoring position and no outs, junior first baseman Adrian Lopez hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring the Trojans’ first run.
Junior centerfielder Kevin Takeuchi reached base on another error from junior catcher Colton Bower, and junior right fielder Andrew Lamb reached base on yet another DeCarlo error, which scored the Trojans’ second run. Many baseball games have clear moments where the tides turned in one team’s favor. None are more obvious than three errors committed in one inning.
USC put Covarrubias and Martinez on first and second in the fourth, with Adrian Lopez at bat. Covarrubias and Martinez initiated a double steal as Lopez drove a base hit through the right side of the infield. Covarrubias scored to expand the lead to 3-0. Another base hit from Takeuchi allowed Martinez to score, which gave USC a 4-0 lead. The fifth run scored in the sixth inning, when Covarrubias tagged from third on a sacrifice fly from Lopez. Kenney was finally removed from the game, having thrown 108 pitches over 5.1 innings.
Not everyone on the Trojans’ roster was as productive. The team’s run production was concentrated at the top of the lineup; the bottom five batters combined to go 0-for-19. Sophomore shortstop Maddox Riske has been hitless in his last 17 at-bats, but that lack of offense was not a significant concern for head coach Andy Stankiewicz.
“He’s at a premium defensive position…and he understands that,” Stankiewicz said. “I know he wants to get hits. He wants to be a part of the offense. But at the same time…we need him playing great defense.”
Riske’s defense is valuable, but with a .182 batting average, it’s hard not to wonder if such strong defense is worth the cost.
USC and Washington, both formerly members of the PAC-12 conference, are now part of the Big Ten. After Friday’s game, USC is 22-1 (6-1 in conference) while Washington is 9-12 (4-3 in conference). USC will have the chance to continue their three-game winning streak when the series against Washington continues on Saturday and Sunday.