USC Holds Off SMC To Advance To Corvallis Regional Final

No. 3-seeded USC advanced to the Corvallis regional final after beating Saint Mary's 6-4 on Friday night at Goss Stadium. The Trojans belted three home runs early and held off the Gaels late in the game to seal the win.

Mason Edwards was the winning pitcher on the night, giving up just three earned runs and punching out six batters in 5.1 innings of work. Flame-throwing right-hander Caden Hunter got the save, recording the final four outs for his team.

After falling behind 3-1 early on, the Trojan offense roared to life. With a runner on base and two outs in the fourth, first-baseman Augie Lopez launched a two-run homer to right-center, tying the game. The following inning, junior Ethan Hedges hit a solo shot to give USC the lead. The Trojans extended this lead with a Richard Tejada RBI single in the sixth, making it a 5-3 game.

The Gaels showed signs of life in the eighth, loading the bases with nobody out. But USC limited the damage, allowing just one run and getting out of the jam still ahead. After his team tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, Trojan closer Caden Hunter sat the Gaels down in order in the top of the 9th to close out the game.

USC now awaits the winner of game five (3 PM PST Sunday) between Oregon State and Saint Mary's to see who they will take on in the regional final. Game one of the regional finals is scheduled to start at 7 PM PST Sunder night and, if necessary, game two of the regional finals will be played on Monday.