LOS ANGELES – The USC baseball team dropped the series finale to No. 1 UCLA on Sunday afternoon at Dedeaux Field, falling 9-2 to the Bruins.
 
The loss drops USC to 10-16 on the year and 3-6 in Pac-12 play, while UCLA moves to 20-5 overall and 7-2 in conference action. The Trojans took the opener in the series, but lost the final two games.
 
USC struck first, loading the bases in the bottom of the first and getting a sacrifice fly from Ben Ramirez. UCLA would answer with a two-run homer by Jarron Silva in the top of the second, but the Trojans came back and tied it with an RBI groundout by John Thomas.
 
The early back-and-forth continued when UCLA scored two runs in the top of the third, getting a sacrifice fly and scoring on a wild pitch, but this time the Trojans didn't have an answer. Bruin starter Ryan Garcia and four other UCLA pitchers combined to keep USC scoreless the rest of the way. The Trojans would leave a total of 12 runners on in the game.
 
Chris Clarke tossed the final 5.1 innings of the game for USC, giving up one earned run on four hits. UCLA scored three unearned runs in the top of the ninth and had a solo-homer against him in the fifth.
 
TOP PERFORMERS

• Matthew Acosta had one single, one walk and a run scored.
• Ben Ramirez and John Thomas had the only RBI's for the Trojans.
• Chris Clarke threw 5.1 relief innings, giving up four hits, one earned run and one walk, while striking out six.

 
COMING UP
The Trojans then hit the road against UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday and welcome No. 9 Arizona State next weekend.