Trojans take two of three in series against UCLA


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The Trojans won two of three in a three-game set against the Bruins on the road over the weekend.

After winning 5-3 on Friday, USC (23-25, 12-12) fell on Saturday 4-3 in a game that featured late-inning drama. The Trojans closed out the series with a dominant 9-0 shutout on Sunday.

The Men of Troy rode eight strong innings from starting pitcher redshirt junior Joe Navilhon on Friday. Navilhon gave up just one run through eight innings but, with a 5-1 lead in the ninth, allowed a two-run homer that chased him from the game. Senior reliever Marc Huberman came in for the save.

Down 1-0 early, the Trojans scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to stake out a 3-1 lead. Junior outfielder Corey Dempster drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the fifth. In the sixth, sophomore infielder Adalberto Carrillo scored all the way from the first on a single, just beating the tag at home plate.

USC extended its lead to four runs when two more players scored, thanks to five consecutive singles in the seventh inning.

Saturday night did not bring similar fortune. Despite jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a home run by senior outfielder Timmy Robinson, the Trojans could not hold on the lead in the later innings.

Down 3-1, the Bruins (24-25, 11-13) cut the lead in half in the sixth inning and took the lead with two runs in the eighth off USC senior starter Kyle Davis. Davis has been the Trojan’s most utilized pitcher, pitching just over 77 innings on the season. Kort Peterson tied the game for UCLA with an RBI single, and Jake Pries delivered a sacrifice fly to put the Bruins ahead 4-3.

In the ninth, senior outfielder David Oppenheim struck out with a runner on second for the final out.

The Trojans closed the series out on a strong note, though, with a powerful offensive performance for a 9-0 victory on Sunday. USC led 4-0 after three innings and blew the game open in the fifth with three more runs, capped off with an RBI single by Carrillo.

In all, USC recorded 13 hits and forced UCLA starter Kyle Molnar out of the game in four innings after he allowed four earned runs. The Trojans batted 4-of-10 with runners in scoring position.

Sophomore pitcher Mitch Hart notched the win, pitching six shutout innings.

The Trojans improve to .500 in conference play and sit in the middle of pack in the Pac-12 Conference standings, with six more conference games left on the schedule.

After playing a single game at UC Irvine Tuesday night, the Trojans will host Oregon State for a weekend series beginning Friday.