Written by Sarah Bergstrom, USC blog contributor
If the nation wasn't paying attention to USC baseball before this weekend, it sure is now. The Trojans, who entered the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic on Friday ranked No. 25 by Baseball America, announced their official return to the sport's spotlight beating No. 7 TCU and No. 1 Vanderbilt in walk-off fashion on Friday and Saturday night at Dedeaux Field. On Sunday, they sealed their sweep beating crosstown rival No. 6 UCLA, 8-4, at Dodger Stadium.
The weekend got off to a wild start, as USC and TCU battled for 12 innings before junior Blake Lacey laid down a squeeze bunt to bring junior Timmy Robinson barreling home to claim a 7-6 win. On Saturday, the Trojans won again in thrilling fashion thanks to a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth from freshman pinch hitter Adalberto Carrillo. The team was able to breathe a little easier on Sunday, tallying in six of nine innings against the Bruins and winning by a healthy margin. It was an all-around team effort in which eight of nine in the starting lineup had a hit, with five having multi-hit performances.
"I think this weekend showed that we don't fear anybody and that we're capable of beating anybody," head coach Dan Hubbs said after Sunday's victory. "With that being said, we also know that if we don't play well, we're capable of losing to anyone as well. These guys are good players. They started to really believe that the second half of last season and we're seeing that now."
According to Collegiate Baseball, which ranked the Trojans No. 20 to start the weekend, the team now sits at No. 6 in the country. USC is back in action on Tuesday when they face UC Irvine at 6:30 p.m. PT at Anteater Ballpark.
University Southern California Trojans
Monday, July 06
Monday, June 29
Tuesday, June 23
Monday, June 22
