Monday’s downpour in Los Angeles caused USC’s (4-0) matchup against Loyola Marymount University (1-3) to be delayed a day further, but the Trojans picked up right where they left off Wednesday night, routing LMU 14-4 in seven innings for their second run-rule victory of the season.

USC entered the contest coming off a dominant sweep against Pepperdine University, powered by pitching masterclasses from junior Mason Edwards and sophomore Grant Govel — with the latter named Perfect Game’s National Pitcher of the week. The bats were just as hot as the arms, though, as the Trojans put up 22 runs in the series.

The team on the other side of the diamond told a different story, as LMU came off a series loss against Tulane University (2-2), where it was only able to take one game. The bright spot for the Lions, however, was the emergence of freshman infielder Andrew Mhoon. Mhoon led the team with five hits and four RBIs throughout the three games, and was looking to will his squad to an upset victory on Wednesday.

Stars continue to shine early 

The Lions struck first when Mhoon drove in a run in the top half of the second inning to give the Lions an early 1-0 lead.

Led by junior outfielder Jack Basseer and junior infielder Abbrie Covarrubias, the Trojans’ offensive attack quickly answered. Basseer blasted a two-run home run in the bottom half of the second, putting USC back ahead. 

Basseer went 2-for-3, hitting his second home run of the season and finishing with three RBIs.

“I’m just trying to see the ball up and go the other way with it. And they’ve been hanging some breaking balls that [have] been nice to hit,” Basseer said in a postgame interview.

Covarrubias continued his strong start to 2026, tacking on three hits and reaching base four times, bringing his average to .500. After USC fell behind 3-4, Covarrubias hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to even the score back up — and there was no looking back from there. 

Supporting cast seals the deal 

The fifth and sixth innings brought nine of USC’s 14 total runs. Junior first baseman Dean Carpentier got the party started in the fifth with a bases-loaded, two-RBI double. Junior catcher Richard Tejeda followed with a two-RBI single that same inning, but was thrown out trying to advance to second base. This was Tejeda’s final appearance of the night, as he appeared to come off the field grimacing. 

“It was an injury … I’m not sure if he got stepped on or something, but it looks like he injured his hands,” Head Coach Andy Stankiewicz said in a postgame interview. “We’ll see … what it looks like tomorrow.”

Despite the loss of Tejeda, the Trojans continued their scoring output, with five more runs coming in the sixth inning, followed by one more run in the seventh inning to clinch the run-rule victory. 

The bats weren’t solely the ones to thank for the dominant victory, though, as the bullpen shut down the momentum of the Lions’ offense. After allowing three runs through 3.1 innings played, sophomore pitcher Chase Herrell was relieved, and four Trojans coming out of the bullpen allowed just one run and three hits the rest of the game. 

Trojans look to finish homestand strong

With the 14-4 victory, USC has now outscored its opponents 36-10 through the first four games. The Trojans have recorded two run-rule victories in that same span. According to Stankiewicz, the offensive surge comes from pouncing on opponents’ mistakes. 

“It’s just a matter of taking ball four. You look at those situations and hit by pitches, the opponent is giving us some freebies. … Next thing you know, you end up getting a three spot or four spot,” Stankiewicz said. 

The Trojans will seek to maintain their flawless record in their next series against Rice University (3-2), who look to make their trip from Houston, Texas worth it. Even amid his team’s offensive outpour, Stankiewicz said that USC can’t let its guard down.

“Rice is well coached. Their head coach has been around a long time. He’s really good at what he does. And so they’re going to come in here [wanting] to make a name for themselves, and we got to be ready to play at a high level,” Stankiewicz said. 

USC hosts the Owls in a three-game series, which could prove to be a challenge for the Trojans, as Rice has already accumulated wins over Big Ten competition in Northwestern (1-2) and Purdue (2-2) this season. The series begins at Dedeaux Field on Friday at 6 p.m.