University Southern California Trojans
USC 10, Virginia Commonwealth 0 - May 28, 1999
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
May 28, 1999
USC Coach Mike Gillespie
"Justin (Lehr) was the biggest part of the story. He struck out 10, walked
one and we didn't make any errors. You never want to give anybody any extra
chances. So they just pretty much got what the rule book allowed. All in
all, we feel very good about it.
"Justin threw with such command in the first inning. He threw very, very well from the first hitter. He gave us a great lift right from the get go.
"Our teams always play the best against the best, but I think that is the case with everybody.
"During BP we had a crispness and an edge to our demeanor and I think that's the way we were during the game."
USC pitcher Justin Lehr
(On striking out the side in the first) "It really set the tone for me,
getting ahead of the hitters and getting set to the umpire's strike zone."
USC catcher Eric Munson
(On Lehr's performance) "You can't ask for much of a better job from a
pitching standpoint. He had command of all his pitches. He's had some tough
luck with some decisions this year. His record doesn't show how well he's
pitched this year, but today showed how well he has pitched."
USC designated hitter Carlos Casillas
(On avenging last year's 14-4 loss to VCU at the regionals) "Last year,
watching that whole thing was so frustrating. I didn't play in that one, so
to have a good day today felt very good. We are always confident in our
ability and play well together."
VCU Coach Paul Keyes
"I think this game was dictated in the first inning. They came out and were
excited to have the regional here. They had revenge on their minds and came
out and took it to us early. I thought we played well and John (Korn)
really battled. I thought if we could get on in the fourth and score we
could have battled back, but if they scored, it could be a long game.
"(USC starter) Justin Lehr was outstanding. In the first inning, he set the tone. He came out and struck out the side in the first and gave them the momentum. It was a good regional performance by a great pitcher and he kept us at bay all game.
"I think the big inning was the fourth. We got three hits and had Cory Bauswell up, who has been a good RBI man and he gets a strikeout. (Lehr) was locating the ball extremely well and throwing four pitches in the strike zone.
"We're still young but building for the future. We'll come out tomorrow and play hard. Hopefully, the balls that didn't fall today will fall tomorrow.
(on whether he addressed the team about last year's game against USC) "We didn't talk about that at all. It was a different year with different people at a different location."
VCU pitcher John Korn
(asked if he had his good stuff against USC) "I wouldn't consider it my
good stuff. I struggled at the start to find the strike zone and you can't
do that against a team like this. I made a couple of mistakes and they
pounced on them."
VCU first baseman Jake Anthony
(asked about the revenge factor from last year's NCAA game against USC)
"These are two different teams from last year and we have a lot of new
guys. Last year against USC, we were aggressive in the strike zone and
today we weren't. Last year, we came out swinging, and this year we
couldn't get it done."
