USC stumbles offensively in 1-2 road series loss at Cal


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Number 15 redshirt freshman Rhylan Thomas dabs up number 8 redshirt junior Ben Ramirez on his way to the dugout
Redshirt freshman outfielder Rhylan Thomas returns to the dugout after a trip to homeplate. He logged two RBI’s against Cal this weekend. (Charlie McCollum | Daily Trojan)

After a solid 6-1 win to start the road series Thursday, USC dropped two straight games to finish 1-2 against Cal over the weekend. The Trojans are now 12-11 overall as they near the halfway point of the regular season.

Redshirt junior Isaac Esqueda, the team’s strongest pitcher this season, carried the Trojans for eight innings on Thursday, allowing only five hits and one run throughout his time on the mound. The left-handed pitcher is now 3-1 on the season, throwing an average 2.27 ERA and allowing the Trojan offense to mount significant leads.

Five Trojans reached home base on Thursday early in the game. Redshirt junior infielder Ben Ramirez started the scoring streak off with a single homer to right field in the second inning. Infielders redshirt junior Jamal O’Guinn and redshirt senior Tyler Pritchard responded in the same inning, driving in two runs to establish the 3-0 lead. Ramirez went on to seal the deal in the third with a two-run homer, followed by redshirt freshman outfielder Rhylan Thomas scoring off a single in the fourth. 

On Friday, the Trojans were the ones playing catch up right from the start. Cal senior infielder Quentin Selma homered in two runs in the bottom of the first, establishing a 2-0 lead. For the next four innings, USC’s batting lineup churned up only one walk, with junior pitcher Grant Holman striking out four Trojans.

Ramirez once again broke the scoring seal for the Trojans, homering to right field at the top of the fifth. Cal walked in a run at the bottom of the fifth, but redshirt junior pitcher Brian Gursky put a stop to the offense leading to USC’s response in the sixth. O’Guinn reached first off a fielding error and was taken home off a triple from Thomas. Redshirt senior John Thomas drove Rhylan in off a single to make it a tie game 3-3.

Until the ninth the Trojans were left stranded on first, unable to break through Cal sophomore pitcher Josh White again. First baseman Clay Owens took the right-handed pitcher to task, doubling to right center and forcing the Bears’ bullpen open for sophomore pitcher Joseph King. Ramirez kept his batting streak hot with a single to advance redshirt freshman pinch runner Connor Cirillo to third. But, a reach at bat kept the scoreboard the same as Cirillo was thrown out at home. 

Cal managed to convert off a walk in the bottom of the ninth, advancing to home in just three plays to make the final score 3-4. 

Saturday marked a near-complete dry spell for USC’s offense, with only three hits and one run over the 9 innings. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Alex Cornwell let the Bears slip ahead early, giving up five runs in his four innings on the mound. Ramirez wound up scoring off a double in the top of the ninth to prevent the shut out and round out the final 1-5 score. The infielder finished the series on a three-game scoring streak.

USC faces a quick turnaround after the Easter weekend and plays San Diego on the road Tuesday. The Trojans lost to the Toreros 5-6 in March and are hoping to turn things around the second time around. First pitch is at 5 p.m. at Torero Stadium in San Diego.