The USC Trojans survived back-to-back elimination games following their 15-4 victory over the Texas State Bobcats on May 31. The Bobcats previously stunned the Trojans 5-4 on May 29 but USC’s offense and the heroic performance by junior pitcher Sax Matson got them the win the the rematch.
Kevin Takeuchi had a strong outing at the plate for the Trojans, going 2-for-5 with four RBIs, two runs and a grand slam. In 3.2 innings, Mason contained the Bobcats by only allowing two hits, a run and a walk while throwing four strikeouts.
Trojans’ Offense Jumps to an Early Lead
The Trojan offense repeated last night’s hot start (5-0 in the first inning) with a 4-0 lead. Then Abbrie Covarrubias got on base first with a single and was followed by the Lopez’s – Adrian was hit by a pitch and Augie was walked. Then Takeuchi went deep to center field for a grand slam.
At the top of the third inning, Takeuchi singled to center field and Isaac Cadena homered on his second at-bat of the game, extending the Trojans’ lead to 6-0. The Trojans’ offense added two more runs at the top of the fourth, coming from Augie Lopez’s RBI-single and the walk of Jack Basseer that brought Augie home.
Facing an 8-0 deficit, the Bobcats began to rally in the bottom of the fourth. Texas State fielders Chase Mora got a double while Coy DeFury went deep to right field, putting two scores on the board for the Bobcats. Following the home run, Trojans’ freshman pitcher, Diego Velazquez, was pulled and finished the day with three hits, three walks, one run, a home run and three strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
USC Bullpen Controls Bobcats’ Mid-Game Rally
Freshman Gavin Lauridsen, who came in for Velazquez, gave up two hits – Brady Boles single, Manny Salas single-RBI – a walk and score. After a meeting on the mound, Matson replaced Lauridsen. With bases loaded, Matson walked Bobcats fielder Justin Vossos, making it a 8-4 game, and threw two strikeouts to end the inning.
The fifth and sixth innings were a defensive battle. The Bobcats’ sixth pitcher of the game, Alizaeh Gutierrez, had a strikeout, a walk while giving up zero hits, but the lodged ball rule allowed Adrian Lopez to score, putting the Trojans up 9-4. Matson had two strikeouts and only allowed one hit during the two-inning stretch.
Then the USC offense put the game to bed. At the top of the seventh, Urbon’s sacrifice bunt and Covarrubias’ double-RBI extended Southern Cal’s lead 11-4. At the top of the eighth, Covarrubias got another double-RBI while Maddox Riske drilled a single-RBI, leading to the final score of 15-4.
USC Advances to Regional Final vs. Texas A&M
This marks back-to-back Regional final appearances for the Trojans, their 33rd in program history. They will be facing the host team and No.12 ranked team in the nation, Texas A&M.
In Game 1 of the College Station Regional, the Aggies found themselves down early, 0-5, against Lamar University. Clutch relief pitching with home runs by Gavin Grahovac and Chris Hacopian pushed the Aggies ahead of the Cardinals, to win the game 7-5. Then in Game 2, A&M routed Texas State 17-2.
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