CORVALLIS, Ore. — After 10 years, you’d expect there to be some rust. Maybe some angst. At least some nerves. Not for USC baseball participating in its first NCAA tournament game in a decade.
The Trojans played loose and free as they piled up 14 hits in a 13-1 victory against No. 22 Texas Christian on Friday afternoon in the opening game of the Corvallis Regional.
USC consistently produced tough at-bats, going deep into counts early. They forced TCU to cycle through its bullpen after chasing starter Tommy LaPour, an All-Big 12 first-team selection, in the fourth inning.
Nine-hole hitter Richard Tejeda was a catalyst for the Trojans. He drove in the game’s first run with a two-out single in the second inning. Two innings later, his sacrifice bunt attempt loaded the bases with no outs and sent LaPour to an early exit when he hesitated, looking to first before trying to get Tejeda at first. TCU reliever Louis Rodriguez did a good job limiting the damage, getting a strikeout, a fielder’s choice and a flyout, but USC had taken a 3-0 lead and never looked back.
Sawyer Strosnider provided TCU’s lone offensive highlight with a solo home run in the fourth inning, but that was practically the only mistake USC starting pitcher Caden Aoki made. The senior right-hander kept the Horned Frogs’ offense at bay, facing just three over the minimum in eight sterling innings.
Aoki struck out six, yielding one run on four hits while delivering 80 of his 114 pitches for strikes.
Tejeda got a USC rally started in the sixth inning when he lined the first pitch to center field for a single. Two pitches and two bunt singles later, the bases were loaded for the heart of USC’s lineup. Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek blooped a single off the glove of TCU’s second baseman to plate a run. Adrian Lopez followed with a run-scoring single, and an Abbrie Covarrubias sacrifice fly made it 6-1. The Trojans added three more in the next inning with Lopez supplying a two-run single.
With the victory, USC advances to the winner’s bracket where it will face the winner of tonight’s matchup between Saint Mary’s and regional host Oregon State, the No. 8 national seed. The Trojans will play at 6 p.m. PDT.
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