Trojans swept by No. 22 Rice following hot start

USC walked into its weekend series at No. 22 Rice with a 3-1 overall mark, and at times, looked capable of improving upon their strong start.

In three games, the Trojans committed just two errors and yielded one unearned run.

And although Rice scored 19 runs in the three games, seven of those came in one inning.

But the Trojans leave Houston with three straight losses. The problem: timely hitting. The Trojans left 32 men on base over the span of three games, bringing their season total up to 68 for the season — nearly 10 per game.

Sunday, the Trojans left eight men on, including the tying run in the ninth to take a 3-2 loss.

The key moment for Rice came in the seventh inning. With the score tied at one and USC senior starting pitcher Logan Odom still going strong, Rice shortstop Derek Hamilton was hit by a pitch and then stole second. A base hit put runners at the corners, and another steal put men on second and third with two down.

It was Rice’s chance to demonstrate some timely hitting, and they did. First basemen J.T. Chargois ripped a triple to right to give the Owls and 3-1 lead and chase Odom from the game.

But USC would have its chances. With one out in the eighth, sophomore third basemen Adam Landecker singled and junior first basemen Ricky Oropesa reached on an error to put two on. Senior second baseman Joe De Pinto singled to left to plate Landecker and move Oropesa to second, but neither junior right fielder Alex Sherrod nor junior catcher Kevin Roundtree could get the hit that was needed.

Junior designated hitter Brandon Garcia led off the ninth with a single right back up the middle. Freshman catcher Kevin Swick was brought on as a pinch-runner and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice to put the tying run in scoring position with one out, but Rice’s closer fanned a pair to end the game, completing the sweep for the Owls.

Saturday ended in a similarly crushing way for the Trojans. All told, the Trojans left 13 men on base Saturday, leaving the bases juiced in the first, sixth and ninth, a standing a pair in the eighth.

Junior starting pitcher Austin Wood matched Odom’s stellar Sunday performance with three runs over six and two-thirds innings Saturday, but the Trojans’ bullpen was unable to maintain the lead.

Saturday and Sunday could be classified as pitchers’ duels, but Friday was a slugfest.

The Trojans struck in the top of the first with a simple sacrifice fly, but then stranded runners at the corners. They put another across in the fourth, but then left the bases loaded. USC put a third run on the board in the top of the fifth, but in the bottom half of the inning it all fell apart.

Rice tied the game with no outs, and scored once more with one out. With two down, the Trojans looked to get out of the inning down just one, but surrendered a two-run homer and another two-out RBI before finally getting out of the inning with a seven on the board.

The Trojans chipped away with two in the sixth. Sherrod led off the seventh with USC’s first homer of the season to make it a one-run game. USC then proceeded to tie the game on a passed ball.

The Trojans used four pitchers in the seventh inning in an attempt to keep the Owls off the board, but freshman Derek Hamilton ripped an RBI single through the hole to give Rice an 8-7 lead. The Trojans stranded another pair in the eighth, and Rice tacked on two more for a 10-7 lead before USC went quietly in the ninth.

Up next for USC is a Tuesday game at Long Beach State at 6:30 p.m.