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Trojans Advance to Pac-12 Semifinals With 4-2 Win Over Oregon

by usctrojans.com
May 23, 2024

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The USC baseball team kept its postseason run alive with a 4-2 win over Oregon to advance to the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Scottsdale.
 
It was the eighth win in a row for the Trojans, who are now two wins away from securing an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. USC moves to 30-27 on the year, while Oregon falls to 37-18. After 34 wins in 2023, the Trojans have now had back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since 2001 & 2002 under Hall of Fame Coach Mike Gillespie.
 
The first five innings of the afternoon were a pitcher's duel between USC's William Watson and Oregon's RJ Gordon, with both pitchers holding the opposing scoreless over that span. The Trojans and Ducks had just three hits through five frames.
 
Ryan Jackson would break the deadlock, hitting a solo-homer to right to lead off the sixth inning. USC wasn't done in the frame either, getting two-out RBI hits from Ethan Hedges and Brayden Dowd to go up 3-0.
 
Oregon tried to mount a rally of their own in the bottom half of the inning, getting an RBI single from Chase Meggers, but Watson shut it down with a strikeout of Bryce Boettcher to end the inning and strand runners on the corners.
 
USC would tack on another run in the seventh on a Kevin Takeuchi sac fly and then turn it over to the bullpen. All-Pac-12 setup man Xavier Martinez entered to start the bottom of the seventh and worked around a two-out walk to keep Oregon off the board. The Ducks got two runners on with one out in the eighth, but Martinez induced two groundouts, allowing one run to score, but keeping USC in front, 4-2.
 
It was the turn of USC's All-Pac-12 closer in the ninth, with Josh Blum picking up his ninth save of the year with a scoreless frame. Blum struck out the final batter of the afternoon to strand a runner and send USC to the semis.
 
TOP PERFORMERS

  • William Watson: W, 6.0 IP, 7H, R, 2BB, 7K
  • Ryan Jackson: 2-for-5, HR, 2B
  • Kevin Takeuchi: 1-for-3, RBI, R, 2B, SF
  • Xavier Martinez: 2.0 IP, H, R, 2BB, 2K
  • Josh Blum: S, 1.0 IP, H, 0R, 0BB, K

 
COMING UP
USC will play Cal in the semifinal round tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. That game can be seen live on the Pac-12 Network.

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