The No. 23 USC Trojans found their footing once again in their 9-2 victory over the Cal State Fullerton Titans, Tuesday night.
USC held an offensive clinic in Fullerton to end their five-game roadtrip. The Trojans totaled 17 hits on the night, with each batter in the lineup having picked up a hit and six batters finishing with a multi-hit game.
USC’s offense wasted no time driving baserunners in against the Titans’ pitching. USC loaded four runs in the first inning and batted around the order to force a Fullerton pitching change after securing just one out.
A bases-loaded walk from Kevin Takeuchi scored the first run of the game. The next came from a fly ball dropped by Titan’s right fielder Andrew Kirchner to score Adrian Lopez. Then a two-RBI chopper to left field from Abbrie Covarrubias was enough to end Fullerton pitcher Nick Santivanez’s start and introduce their bullpen.
Freshman Diego Velazquez made his first start of his collegiate career for the Trojans. Velazquez has come out of the bullpen and has also played in the infield throughout the season. He pitched two innings, stacked four strikeouts and gave up one hit.
Fullertons’ two runs came in the third and fourth inning. The first from an RBI single to right-center field from Kirchner. The second from a towering home run by Max Ortega that landed on the rooftop of the Titans’ clubhouse in left field for his first homer of the season.
USC continued to add to their lead in the fourth inning with a two-rbi double from Takeuchi, the team’s leader in hits and batting average. Maximo Martinez brought Takeuchi home with an RBI single knocked to left field later in the inning.
The Trojans continued to tack on runs the remainder of the game. A wild pitch spiked in front of home plate and shot to the backstop gave enough time for Isaac Cadena to score in the sixth inning. Covarrubias snuck a ground ball into left field for an RBI in the ninth inning.
USC sent a total of seven pitchers to the mound and gave up six hits, their best performance since they hosted Iowa on April 12. This comes after a four-game losing streak that includes a three-game sweep against Nebraska where they were outscored 36-15.
This USC performance may be enough to bring back the winning energy seen prior to the UCLA series that has altered USC’s season ever since. They will face the Purdue Boilermakers at home for a three-game series from April 24-26.
Purdue sits third in the Big Ten standings with a 28-12 record and are 15-6 within the conference. USC has fallen to fifth with a 31-11 total record and are 13-8 in the Big Ten.
USC will play Purdue at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles on Friday at 7 p.m. PST.