Trojan Arms Lead USC to 2-1 Win Over No. 22 TCU

Friday, March 6

Los Angeles, Calif.

6:00 PM

USC

8-4

TCU

10-3

TCU

USC

Photo by: John McGillen

Trojan Arms Lead USC to 2-1 Win Over No. 22 TCU

March 06, 2020 | Baseball, Features

Box Score Highlights Final Stats Box Score (PDF)

LOS ANGELES – Kyle Hurt tossed six strong innings, followed by three scoreless frames from Ethan Hoopingarner and Ben Wanger to lead the USC baseball team to a 2-1 victory over No. 22 TCU on Friday night at Dedeaux Field.

The Trojans scored in the first and third innings and then rode their dominant pitching the rest of the way to move to 8-4 on the year. TCU falls to 10-3 on the year.

Rhylan Thomas doubled to lead off the first for USC and then Jamal O'Guinn brought him home with a single to center. It was Tyler Lozano in the third who led the inning off with a single and would later score what turned out to be the winning run when Ben Ramirez singled through the right side.

Hurt gave up his lone run in the second inning when Gene Wood hit a leadoff home run. The junior righty would follow by setting down the next eight batters he faced in a row and ended his start retiring 15 of the final 18 batters TCU sent to the plate. Hurt would strike out nine in the game and walk just one.

Ethan Hoopingarner entered to start the seventh, getting two ground balls and a strikeout to work a perfect inning, he would work around a two-out walk in the eighth for a two inning hold. Wanger had to work through some tense moments in the ninth after giving up a leadoff single and then a two-out base hit to put runners on the corners for the Horned Frogs. The Trojan closer would strike out his third batter of the inning to end the game and fire up the home crowd.

TOP PERFORMERS

Kyle Hurt tossed 6.0 innings, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out a season-high nine batters and walking just one.
Ethan Hoopingarner threw 2.0 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and one walk, while striking one batter out.
Ben Wanger picked up his second save of the year with a scoreless ninth, striking out three of the five batters he faced and stranding two runners.
Jamal O'Guinn was 3-for-3 at the plate, with an RBI and a walk.
Ben Ramirez posted the game-winning RBI with a single in the third.

UP NEXT
The Trojans continue play in the Southern California College Baseball Classic, hosting No. 2 Vanderbilt on Saturday at 2 p.m. and No. 6 UCLA on Sunday at 3 p.m. TCU and Vanderbilt will also play at 10 a.m. on Sunday at Dedeaux Field.