University Southern California Trojans
Lane Slugs Baseball to 14-7 Win at ASU
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
April 24, 1999
TEMPE, Ariz. - Senior LF Jason Lane slugged two home runs and had six RBI to lead the No. 15 USC baseball team to a 14-7 victory over No. 19 Arizona State on Saturday afternoon at Packard Stadium.
The Trojans (28-19, 14-3) defeated the Sun Devils (32-17, 8-9) for the second straight day and will look for the series sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m.
USC stayed one game ahead of Stanford in the Pac-10 standings after the Cardinal's 14-11, 10-inning win over California on Saturday.
Senior RHP Justin Lehr (6-1) was excellent as he won his sixth straight decision and improved to 5-0 in the Pac-10. He went seven innings with six strikeouts and gave up nine hits, zero walks and four runs (only one earned).
The Sun Devils scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to grab an early 3-0 lead. All three runs were unearned as the result of three Trojan errors.
In the top of the second, though, USC sent 14 batters to the plate and came away with eight runs on seven hits. Senior CF Brad Ticehurst singled to right field and then moved to third base on senior 2B Dominic Correa's single up the middle. Junior 1B Carlos Casillas knocked in one run and reached base on a fielder's choice, which put out Correa. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, junior 3B Justin Gemoll and sophomore SS Seth Davidson had back-to-back RBI singles.
A fielder's choice at home got the second out of the inning. With the bases still loaded, Lane crushed a grand slam over the left-center field fence. His only other grand slam as a Trojan came in the ninth inning of the 1998 NCAA championship game against Arizona State.
The Trojans weren't done yet in the second inning. Ticehurst walked, Correa singled and Casillas scored Ticehurst on an RBI single through the right side to make it 8-3.
In the top of the third, Lane struck again. With one on and two out, he launched another home run to left-center field to make it 10-3. It was Lane's second multi-homer game in the last four games, and he now has six home runs in the last six games. He has a team-leading 15 home runs overall in 1999.
USC scored four more runs in the top of the fourth to make it 14-3. Correa led off with a solo home run and Gemoll later had a two-run triple, then scored on a wild pitch.
ASU scored once in the bottom of the fourth to make it 14-4.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth. Senior RHP Steve Immel, who pitched the final two innings, was touched for three unearned runs after another Trojan error.
Correa had four hits for the second straight day, while Davidson went 3-for-5 and Lane and Gemoll each had two hits.
USC 082 400 000 - 14 14 4 ASU 300 100 003 - 7 12 1Lehr, Immel (8) and Craig. Doble, Chmielinski (2), Williamson (2), Waldrip (3), Milner (4) and Pratt, Johnson (5).
WP - Lehr (6-1); LP - Doble (0-2).
HR - USC: Lane 2 (14,15), Correa (9).
