USC Baseball Falls Short Against No. 10 Oregon Despite Strong Comeback Effort
IRVINE, Calif. – The USC Trojans baseball team demonstrated resilience but ultimately fell to No. 10 Oregon, losing 8-6 in a competitive matchup on Saturday afternoon at Great Park. This defeat brings USC’s record to 9-5 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten conference play, while Oregon improves to 13-2 and maintains its perfect conference record at 2-0.
Oregon jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, highlighted by a five-run fifth inning that put significant pressure on the Trojans. However, USC began its comeback with six unanswered runs. The Trojans rallied in the fifth when Brayden Dowd contributed an RBI double, followed by a two-run double from Ethan Hedges and a run-scoring single from Dean Carpentier, narrowing the gap to 8-4.
Hedges continued to shine for USC, cutting the deficit further in the seventh inning with a two-run homer, marking his fifth of the season and bringing the score to 8-6. Despite putting the tying run on base during both the eighth and ninth innings, USC could not capitalize. They loaded the bases in the eighth, but a remarkable defensive play by Oregon’s Ryan Cooney thwarted any scoring chance. In the ninth, after two walks, USC faced a critical situation but could not convert, ending the game with a strikeout from Ducks’ pitcher Cole Stokes.
Notable performers for USC included Ethan Hedges with two hits and four RBIs, and Brayden Dowd with three hits. The USC bullpen was strong, allowing just one run in five innings, with Andrew Johnson and Dylan Osborne both delivering solid performances.
The Trojans look to bounce back in the series finale against the Ducks, scheduled for Sunday at noon, which will be streamed live on B1G+.
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