USC
19-10-1
San Diego State
11-15
Aoki's Dominant Performance Leads No. 25 USC to 7-2 Victory Over San Diego State
April 07, 2023 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES, CA --Sophomore Caden Aoki was dealing for the No. 25 USC baseball team on Friday, giving up just one run in a 7-2 win against the San Diego State Aztecs.
The solid outing from Aoki (2-0) earned him the victory on the mound for USC (19-10-1). The right-hander went six innings, giving up one run on three hits, allowing two walks and striking out seven. Senior Kyle Wisch also pitched well, going two shutout innings without allowing a hit, walking one and striking out two.
Senior Cole Gabrielson led the way offensively for the Trojans, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with a home run and three RBI. Senior Nick Lopez compiled a standout performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. Junior Carson Wells also chipped in, going 1-for-4 for USC with a double.
The Trojans have now won 14 of their last 17 games, and have taken five straight series.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Trojans were trailing 1-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board. Gabrielson put USC on the board with a leadoff home run off junior TJ Fondtain.
The score stayed at 1-1 until the fourth inning, when the Trojans put runs on the scoreboard once again. Wells came across to score the lone run of the inning for USC, which brought the score to 2-1 in favor of the Trojans.
USC kept San Diego State scoreless before building their lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning. Freshman Austin Overn and freshman Bryce Grudzielanek came in to score the two Trojans runs in the frame.
The Aztecs fought back, closing the gap to 4-2 until USC added some insurance in the seventh. The Trojans notched two runs when a single from Gabrielson brought home senior Adrian Colon-Rosado and Overn, bringing the USC advantage to 6-2.
The Trojans held San Diego State without a run before expanding their lead to 7-2 the following inning. USC picked up a run on Lopez's one-out solo home run off of junior Kelena Sauer. The score remained 7-2 for the rest of the game, as the Trojans coasted to the win.
GAME NOTES
» Aoki struck out seven Aztecs hitters.
» USC's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed two runs across.
» Aoki put together six innings of one-run ball for the Trojans.
» The Trojans out-hit the Aztecs at a 9-4 clip.
» USC pitchers faced 32 San Diego State hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out 10.
» Gabrielson led the Trojans at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
» San Diego State was led offensively by sophomore Tino Bethancourt, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
» Fondtain led the Aztecs pitching staff, throwing six innings of four-run ball.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Aoki, Caden (2-0)
L: FONDTAIN, TJ (3-2)
Batting:
HR: BETHANCOURT, Tino 1
RBI: BETHANCOURT, Tino 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MILLER, Caden 1 ; BETHANCOURT, Tino 1
CS: MILLER, Caden 1 ; MONTOYA, Shaun 1
HBP: MILLER, Caden 1
PO: MARTINEZ, Cade 1
Batting:
2B: Wells, Carson 1
HR: Gabrielson, Cole 1 ; Lopez, Nick 1
RBI: Gabrielson, Cole 3 ; Olmstead, Johnny 1 ; Lopez, Nick 1
SH: Jackson, Ryan 1
SF: Olmstead, Johnny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Overn, Austin 2 ; Martin-Grudzielanek, Bryce 1 ; Wells, Carson 1 ; Gabrielson, Cole 1 ; Lopez, Nick 1 ; Colon-Rosado, Adrian 1
SB: Overn, Austin 1 ; Martin-Grudzielanek, Bryce 1
HBP: Martin-Grudzielanek, Bryce 1
