USC
San Diego
Trojans Escape With Win Over Toreros
April 30, 2001 | Baseball
April 30, 2001
SAN DIEGO - The 4th-ranked USC Trojans (33-16) scored in the top of the ninth to escape with a 5-4 victory over the San Diego Toreros (32-17). The Toreros, who entered Collegiate Baseball's Top-30 today with a national ranking of 29th, battled the Trojans the entire game, but for the second time this season, came up a run short.
USC's game-winning run in the ninth was credited to Torero reliever Tim Dean (2-1). Dean opened the inning by striking out Brian Barre. Senior shortstop Seth Davidson (San Diego, USDHS) followed with a single, advanced to second on an error by first baseman Lucas Wennersten, then moved to third on a passed ball. Anthony Lunetta followed with a walk and Dean was then replaced by Greg Simonetti. Simonetti hit Josh Persell with his first pitch to load the bases. Bill Peavey lifted a fly to left field that was deep enough to score Davidson from third. Simonetti then got Alberto Concepcion to strike out looking.
In the bottom of the ninth, Tom Caple walked. Greg Sain lined out to left, then Caple was caught trying to steal second. With two outs, Joe Lima singled through the left side, but pinch hitter David Lembo struck out looking as Chad Clark (4-2) earned the win for the Trojans after pitching the final two innings.
USC scored two unearned runs in the 2nd to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Tony Perez relieved Torero starter Mike Oseguera in the 2nd and pitched five complete innings without surrendering a run. USD chipped away with single runs in the 4th, 5th and 6th to take a 3-2 lead. In the sixth, Mike McCoy stroked a single to right field that scored Jason Marian from third.
The Trojans answered right back with single runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. In the 7th off of Patrick Lucy, Abel Montanez singled and eventually scored on Davidson's sacrifice fly. In the 8th, Josh Persell bombed a solo homer to left that hit high off the scoreboard.
USD rallied in the 8th to score one run, and had bases loaded with two outs and Josh Harris at-bat. Harris, who already had two hits on the day and had extended his school record hitting streak to 26 games, hit a hard grounder up the middle that looked like it might get through. Trojan shortstop Seth Davidson back-handed the ball, did a 360-degree turn and threw out Harris by a step at first to end the threat.
The game, played before a season-high 743 fans at Cunningham Stadium, took 3 hours and 48 minutes. Trojan coach Mike Gillespie was tossed from the game in the 6th inning with USD leading 3-2. For the game, USC was paced Davidson, Persell, Peavey and Michael Moon, each with 2 hits apiece. The Toreros were paced offensively by Harris, Tom Caple, Joey Prast and S.C. Assael, each with 2 hits apiece.
The Toreros, who find themselves two games back of Pepperdine in the WCC's West Division with six games to go, travel to Portland this weekend for three contests, followed by a road game at Long Beach State on May 8th.
