USC outlasts Oregon in pitcher’s duel

Oregon second baseman Danny Pulfer was white hot.

With eight consecutive hits, he was killing USC. Two of those hits had been against Sunday’s starting pitcher, senior Logan Odom. So when he came to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning Sunday, the coaching staff gave starting pitcher Logan Odom free reign to stray from the scouting report.

Strong performance · Senior pitcher Logan Odom lasted seven and two-thirds innings, striking out five and allowing one earned run in leading USC to a 3-1 victory over Oregon. The Trojans have now won four of their last five contests in Pac-10 play. - Carlo Acenas | Daily Trojan

“I just wanted to get him out with the slider,” Odom said. “I went with the scouting report and game plan earlier in the game and he had two hits. I got him out with sliders all summer, so I wanted to make him beat me with that pitch.”

Odom used his three-quarters fastball and a bevy of sliders, including the two-strike slider Pulfer feebly whiffed on as he struck out. Odom then got a groundball to end the inning — and Oregon’s threat.

“[Odom] stepped up,” said USC interim head coach Frank Cruz. “That was huge. That was their big rally. We would want to have Odom on the mound as much as anybody in that type of situation. We know he’ll give us everything he has.”

The Trojans (15-20, 6-6) took the series against Oregon (17-16, 2-7) with a 3-1 victory Sunday afternoon at Dedeaux Field, scoring a pair of runs in their final at bat.

After senior second baseman Joe De Pinto led off with a walk and advanced to third on a balk and a wild pitch, junior outfielder Alex Sherrod smashed a RBI-double down the right field line. Sherrod scored two batters later on a Brandon Garcia sacrifice fly.

Junior Chad Smith picked up the win after coming in during the eighth inning and striking out first baseman Shawn Peterson to end the inning. Unfortunately, Smith left the game with numbness in his pitching elbow. The extent of the injury is not known, though he is supposed to be re-evaluated today.

Junior Ben Mount came on and got the final two outs to close the game out for his first career save.

“That’s a real tough situation, but Mount has had a really strong week,” Cruz said. “He’s getting the ball down and he has a lot of confidence.”

The Ducks took the lead in the third inning when Pulfer singled home shortstop KC Serna, but the Trojans responded in the fourth inning.

De Pinto lined a shot into the right-centerfield gap that looked like it was going to be a spectacular out when Oregon right fielder Aaron Jones made a leaping attempt. But the ball bounded off his glove and went to the wall, giving De Pinto a stand-up triple. Two batters later, a Matt Foat sacrifice fly tied the game.

“Honestly, it’s awesome for these guys. We’ve been battling all season,” Cruz said. “This time they came through and were able to get it done. We’ve been talking about physical and mental toughness and we’re hoping that they’re finally getting it.”

Oregon took the first game of the series 4-2 thanks to a marvelous pitching performance from Tyler Anderson. The junior lefty threw eight and one-third innings, allowing only five hits and two unearned runs. Anderson used a four-pitch mix to strikeout 10 batters, including Oropesa three times.

USC junior starting pitcher Andrew Triggs was nearly as good, going six and two-thirds innings. He allowed only six hits and two runs while tying his career high with nine strikeouts.

In the eighth inning, however, Oregon’s Stefan Sabol hit a line shot over the fence just inside the left field foul pole to break a 2-2 tie. The Ducks added an insurance run in the ninth and closer Kellen Moen closed the door for his sixth save of the year.

USC bounced back to take the middle game of the series, 9-2.

Junior starting pitcher Austin Wood picked up his third win of the season, pitching six and one-third solid innings. After Wood departed in the seventh inning, his streak of 15 and one-third innings without allowing an earned run, dating back a week and a half, ended when one of Wood’s runners scored on Mount.

Taking a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning, the Trojans put the game away with six runs against four Oregon relievers. USC scored the six runs on only two hits. Sophomore pinch hitter Shane Boras collected his first hit of the season and first career RBI with a single, and freshman James Roberts lined a two-RBI single up the middle.

Roberts finished the game with his first career three-hit game and a career-high three RBI. Sherrod also added three hits Saturday.