No. 12 USC (26-3; 10-2) showed the most important game is the next one, as they secured a 2-1 series win at Maryland (12-15, 1-5) on Sunday. The Trojans claimed a narrow Friday victory, followed by a Saturday loss, and a mercy-rule Sunday win.
“On the road, winning the series is always going to be the goal, and so we won a series,” said USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz after Sunday’s win. “That team …know[s] what they’re doing with the bat in their hand. So to get out of here with a series victory, [we’ll] take it.”
USC entered the weekend hoping to rebound from its loss to Oregon State on Wednesday by extending Maryland’s five-game losing streak. They did, but not without adversity.
Light rain and cool temperatures worked in the Trojans’ favor at the plate. Maryland’s sophomore starter Lance Williams gave up four walks and hit two batters as he struggled with grip. The Trojans’ four-run lead in the first inning — courtesy of sophomore catcher Augie Lopez’s two-run RBI, his stolen home and junior catcher Richard Tejeda’s walk with bases loaded — began to widen from there.
A third-inning solo home run from sophomore third baseman Maximo Martinez and RBIs from junior first baseman Adrian Lopez and junior right fielder Andrew Lamb increased their lead to 10-1. On the mound, junior starter Mason Edwards stayed true to form, holding the Terrapins to one run by racking up nine strikeouts in the first four innings.
When Edwards was taken out, the Terrapins closed in.
The Trojans had an 11-2 lead in the fifth inning when graduate Henry Chabot gave up back-to-back walks with the bases loaded, reducing USC’s lead to 11-4. In the seventh inning, junior Garren Rizzo pitched freshman outfielder Nate Hawton-Henley a solo home-run to cut the lead to 11-5. Rizzo was subsequently replaced by sophomore Ben Cushnie who threw sophomore infielder Jackson Sirois a two-run RBI double to make it 11-7.
The Trojans sent three more pitchers to the mound in the eighth inning, where Maryland reduced the lead to 11-9. Freshman Gavin Lauridsen walked two batters and gave up a two-run home-run and was promptly replaced by junior Sax Matson, who walked two straight batters to load the bases as he struggled to find grip on the mound. Junior Adam Troy closed the game, yet an early wild pitch allowed sophomore catcher Rylen Stockton to steal home and put Maryland within one run of USC.
Both were held scoreless in the ninth resulting in Maryland’s sixth-straight loss, the longest active streak in the Big Ten.
The Terrapins broke free from their skid on Saturday by handing USC their second loss in three games with a final score of 6-4. Neither Adrian Lopez’s two RBIs nor sophomore Grant Govel’s five strikeouts in six innings were enough to fend off Maryland’s strong offense.
An initially slow start resulted in a 3-3 score by the seventh inning. Sirois and junior left fielder Brayden Martin then proceeded to hit their first home runs of the season in a span of 11 pitches with Freshman Diego Velazquez on the mound. The sequence added three runs for Maryland that the Trojans couldn’t make up in the final frame.
The Trojans responded with a mercy-rule 14-4 win on Sunday afternoon.
Early struggles at the mound proved consequential for Maryland; sophomore Jake Yeager began the frame by loading the bases with three hits, before sending two Trojans home with back-to-back walks. USC’s 3-0 lead widened over the course of the next several innings. Augie Lopez sent a ball deep in the second inning, junior center fielder Kevin Takeuchi and sophomore shortstop Maddox Riske hit successful RBIs in the fourth inning, and Augie Lopez hit another home run in the seventh — his third in two games.
USC’s struggles on the mound carried over into the finale as well. Sophomore starter Andrew Johnson gave up three earned runs and allowed a season-high five walks after three innings. Lauridsen took over, striking out two batters in three innings.
“Gavin Lauridsen stepped up big for us in a big moment,” said Stankiewicz. “We needed somebody to help us get to the later innings and he did exactly that, so I’m proud of his effort and proud of what he did today.”
USC is looking to build momentum ahead of more difficult matchups this week.
“It’s always (important to build momentum), I do believe baseball’s a big momentum game,” said Stankiewicz. “It’ll be nice to get back to California, but anytime you get…a serious win, it helps build momentum for the upcoming week.”
The Trojans will return home to play UC Santa Barbara (16-9) at Dedeaux Field on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before heading to rival and top-ranked UCLA (25-2, 12-0) for a three-game series beginning on Friday.