Ben Ramirez, Isaac Esqueda Lead USC Baseball to 6-1 Win Over Cal
BERKELEY, Calif. – The USC baseball team got eight strong innings on the mound from Isaac Esqueda and two homers from Ben Ramirez to beat Cal 6-1 on the road Thursday night in Berkeley.
Ramirez went deep in both the second and third innings to drive in three runs, while Esqueda allowed just one run in the start as the Trojans move to 12-9 overall with the victory and 5-2 in Pac-12 play. Cal falls to 14-10, 2-2.
Ramirez got the scoring going early for USC, kicking off a three-run second with a solo-shot to right. Tyler Pritchard and Jamal O'Guinn also drove in runs in the second to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead. Ramirez then made it 5-0 Trojans with a two-run homer in the third, giving Esqueda all the offense he needed on the day.
The Trojan lefty scattered five hits and five walks over his eight innings pitched, stranding 10 Cal baserunners in the game. The Bears scored their lone run in the third on an RBI groundout, but Esqueda limited the damage, stranding two runners with a popup to right. Ethan Hoopingarner would toss a scoreless ninth to finish things off.
USC capped its scoring in the fourth, getting an RBI single from John Thomas. The Trojans finished the day with 12 hits, getting three from Thomas as four USC players notched multi-hit games.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Isaac Esqueda: W, 8.0 IP, 5H, ER, 5BB, 6K
- Ben Ramirez: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 runs, BB
- John Thomas: 3-for-5, RBI, 2B
- Tyler Pritchard: 2-for-4, RBI
- Garret Guillemette: 2-for-4, run, 2B
UP NEXT
The Trojans continue their series at Cal tomorrow with a 3 p.m. game, and then wrap things up on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on Pac-12+ via CalBears.com.