USC Trojans Upset Saint Mary’s In Corvallis Regional: Advance To Finals On Verge Of History

On Saturday night, the USC Trojans defeated the Saint Mary's Gaels 6-4. USC infielder Ethan Hedges hit two homers and the Trojans are now moving on in the tournament. USC's postseason will stay alive as the team continues to push through the Corvallis Regional.

Mar 2, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies compete against University of Southern California Trojans during the Kubota College Baseball Series - Weekend 3 at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans defeated the Saint Mary's Gaels on Saturday night. It was a close matchup, but the Trojans were able to clinch the win in the top of the ninth inning. USC's postseason will stay alive as the team continues to push through the Corvallis Regional.

The USC Trojans won the game, 6-4. USC infielder Ethan Hedges was a top performer, hitting two solo homers. Though Saint Mary's kept it close, USC continuously pushed ahead. USC pitcher Caden Hunter entered at the top of the eighth inning and sealed the game for the Trojans.

The Trojans are one win from first super regional since 2005.

USC is advancing to regional final on Sunday at 7 p.m. PT. The Trojans will play the winner of Oregon State vs. Saint Mary's, which begins on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT.

Mar 2, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies compete against University of Southern California Trojans during the Kubota College Baseball Series - Weekend 3 at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Below are live updates from the game.

FINAL - Top 9th: USC 6, Saint Mary’s 4

Jared Mettam grounded out to shortstop

Diego Castellanos grounded out to first

Brian Duroff struck out swinging

Bottom 8th: USC 6, Saint Mary’s 4

Jack Basseer grounded, Martinez out at second, Basseer out at first

Maximo Martinez singled to center, RBI, Higgins scores

Abbrie Covarrubias grounded out to third, Higgins advanced to second.

Kade Higgins singled to the right

Top 8th: USC 5, Saint Mary’s 4

Ryan Pierce struck out watching

USC makes pitching change, Caden Hunter in for Brodie Purcel

Aiden Taurek grounded to shortstop, Madrigal out at second, Griffith advances to third

Cody Kashimoto hits sacrifice fly to the left, Armstrong scores

Eddie Madrigal walked, Griffith advances to second, Armstrong to third

Tanner Griffith singled to right side of the field, Armstrong advances to second

Ian Armstrong singled to right side of the field

Bottom 7th: USC 5, Saint Mary’s 3

Adrian Lopez grounded out to third

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek struck out looking

Ethan Hedges struck out swinging

Saint Mary’s makes pitching change, Sam Kretsch in for Derik Eaquinto

Top 7th: USC 5, Saint Mary’s 3

Jared Mettam struck out swinging

Diego Castellanos lined out center

Brian Duroff struck out swinging

Bottom 6th: USC 5, Saint Mary’s 3

Brayden Dowd lined out to third

Richard Tejeda singled to left side of the field, RBI, Covarrubias scores.

Jack Basseer struck out swinging, Covarrubias successfully steals third base

Covarrubias successfully steals second base

Maximo Martinez hits for Adrian Lopez, struck out swinging

Abbrie Covarrubias singled to left center of the field

Saint Mary’s makes pitching change, Derik Eaquinto in for John Damozonio

Top 6th: USC 4, Saint Mary’s 3

Ryan Pierce grounded into double play, Kashimoto out at third, Pierce out at first

Aiden Taurek singled through left side of the field, Kashimoto advances to second

USC makes pitching change, Brodie Purcell comes in for Mason Edwards

Cody Kashimoto singled through left side of the field

Eddie Madrigal flied out to right side of the field

Bottom 5th: USC 4, Saint Mary’s 3

Andrew Lamb struck out swinging

Adrian Lopez struck out swinging

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek singles to right side of the field

Ethan Hedges homered to right center field to take the lead 4-3

Brayden Dowd struck out swinging

Top 5th: USC 3, Saint Mary’s 3

Tanner Griffith grounded out to catcher

Ian Armstrong struck out swinging

Jared Mettam grounded out to third

Bottom 4th: USC 3, Saint Mary’s 3

Richard Tejeda grounded to shortstop, Basseer out at second

Jack Basseer singled to right side of field

Augie Lopez homered to right center field, RBI Covarrubias scores to tie 3-3

Abbrie Covarrubias infield single to shortstop

Andrew Lamb lined out to first base

Adrian Lopez popped out to second

Top 4th: USC 1, Saint Mary’s 3

Diego Castellanos grounded out to first

Brian Duroff grounded out to shortstop

Ryan Pierce struck out swinging

Aiden Taurek homered to the left center

Bottom 3rd: USC 1, Saint Mary’s 2

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek flied out to left field

Ethan Hedges flied out to right field

Brayden Dowd struck out looking

Richard Tejeda singled right

Top 3rd: USC 1, Saint Mary’s 2

Cody Kashimoto caught stealing second

Cody Kashimoto singled to left center field

Eddie Madrigal grounded out to pitcher

Tanner Griffith struck out looking

Bottom 2nd: USC 1, Saint Mary’s 2

Abbrie Covarrubias singled to center

Augie Lopez grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first. Covarrubias out second

Jack Basseer grounded out to third

Top 2nd: USC 1, Saint Mary’s 2

Ryan Pierce singles through left side

Brian Duroff struck out swinging

Diego Castellanos homered out right, RBI - Pierce scored.

Jared Mettam singled left, Mettam out at second

Ian Armstrong struck out swinging

Bottom 1st: USC 1, Saint Mary’s 0

Brayden Dowd founded out to shortstop

Ethan Hedges homered to the left

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek hit by pitch

Adrian Lopez singled through infield to shortstop, Martin-Grudzielanek to second

Andrew Lamb grounded into double play, Lopez out at second, Lamb out at first

Top 1st: USC 0, Saint Mary’s 0

Eddie Madrigal struck out swinging

Cody Kashimoto flied out to right

Aiden Taurek flied out to left

Betting Odds:

The USC Trojans are -1.5-run favorites against the Saint Mary’s Gaels on FanDuel Sportsbook. The moneyline for USC is -295 and the over/under total for runs is 12.5.

USC vs. Saint Mary’s preview:

It was USC baseball’s first NCAA Tournament game in 10 years and the team came out firing. The USC Trojans defeated the TCU Horned Frogs with a top performance by pitcher Caden Aoki. The Horned Frogs were only able to score one run during the game.

Aoki allowed just one run on four hits in over eight innings. He threw 114 pitches and did not walk a single batter. Aoki put the Trojans in the position to win and the team took advantage of it. 

With Aoki pitching for the majority of the game, USC did not have to turn to its bullpen, which could play a role in the rest of the tournament. The Trojans could potentially have five games in four days and keeping the pitchers rested could be a major boost to USC moving forward.

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“I mean, we always talk about shutdown innings, you know, after we score we want to throw up a zero in the next inning,” Aoki said during the postgame presser. “I had to go out there and execute my pitches and be at my best.”

After the win, USC coach Andy Stankiewicz spoke to the media about the matchup. Stankiewicz gave immense credit to Aoki’s performance against TCU.

“Obviously a well-played game by us and we’ve always said it starts with a guy on the mound and this guy to my left was masterful today. It’s kind of been what he’s been so it’s just nice to have a guy out there with a, with a slow heartbeat that understands how to pitch and how to change speeds,” Stankiewicz said.

Mar 2, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies compete against University of Southern California Trojans during the Kubota College Baseball Series - Weekend 3 at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

USC infielder Adrian Lopez had a big game, with three RBIs. The Trojans were the first on the board when infielder Abbrie Covarrubias scored following a single from catcher Richard Tejeda. 

USC and Saint Mary’s have not played since USC won 6-2 in 2011. If USC can pitch the way they did against TCU, the Trojans will be set up for success.

Saint Mary’s defeated Oregon State, 6-4 on Friday night. The Gaels started strong with three runs during the top of the first inning. The team did not earn another run until the top of the seventh, with three more. The USC Trojans should look to score early to keep from falling behind Saint Mary’s.

One of the top plays of the game was a home run hit by outfielder Brian Duroff. The hit led to him, Outfielder Eddie Madrigal, and first and third basemen Ryan Pierce scoring.

The USC Trojans have gone 10 years without making the tournament and now looking to make a playoff run.

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