Written by Caroline Deisley, USC blog contributor
No. 22 USC baseball faced tough, nationally-ranked opponents this weekend in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, dropping two of three games in back-and-forth battles that were decided by one run or extra innings. The Trojans have now had seven games decided by one run and are 3-4 in those contests.
The weekend began on a high note with a 5-4 victory over Oklahoma that came down to the final inning when reliever Brad Wegman came in with runners in scoring position and got a 5-4-3 double play on just one pitch.
Click here for a full recap from Friday's dramatic, down-to-the-wire victory.
However, the next two games did not fall in the Trojans' favor as they lost to No. 20 Mississippi State and UCLA in dramatic fashion.
On Saturday against the Bulldogs, USC had the game-tying run on third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but it couldn't convert leaving yet another runner on base, an area where the team has really struggled to start the season. The Trojans have stranded 90 runners, a key stat when looking at the amount of one-run games so far this season.
Click here for a recap from Saturday's close loss to Mississippi State.
Sunday was even more gut-wrenching for the Trojans who lost yet another instant classic against crosstown rival UCLA at Dodger Stadium. The game lasted 14 innings, the longest ever in this rivalry's history, but the Bruins finally broke the stalemate in the top of the 14th on a single and a fielding error. USC looked like it might tie things up again in the bottom of the 14th with the tying runs in scoring position and only one out, but the Trojans could not convert in the clutch again, stranding both runners to end the game.
Click here for a full recap from Sunday's heartbreaking 14-inning loss.
In all three games this weekend, USC jumped out to an early lead, but struggled to maintain these leads late in the game against tough opponents. The competitive stretch of the season continues for the Trojans as they head to Fort Worth this weekend to face the No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs.
Here are the John McGillen photos from the Dodger Stadium Classic:
University Southern California Trojans
Sunday, August 30
Saturday, August 29
Saturday, August 29
Saturday, August 29
