CORVALLIS, Oregon — The University of Southern California Trojans secured a 6-4 victory over Saint Mary’s on Saturday night, propelling them into the championship round of the Corvallis Regional.
The victory was highlighted by Ethan Hedges, who smashed two solo home runs. Hedges initiated the game with a powerful one-out homer in the first inning, giving the Trojans an early 1-0 advantage.
In the second inning, Saint Mary’s responded as Diego Castellanos launched a two-run home run, pushing the Gaels ahead. Their lead extended to 3-1 in the fourth when Aide Taurek hit another home run.
However, USC fought back, evening the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homer by Augie Lopez. Hedges then put USC ahead for good in the fifth inning with his second solo homer.
Adding to USC’s lead, Richard Tejeda hit an RBI single in the sixth, making it 5-3. Although Cody Kashimoto’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning brought Saint Mary’s within one run of USC, the Trojans responded swiftly. Maximo Martinez’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth restored their two-run edge.
In the final inning, Caden Hunter took the mound for USC. His flawless 1-2-3 performance secured his first save of the season. Despite allowing three runs across 5 1/3 innings, Mason Edwards improved his record to 3-0 with the win for USC.
On the opposing side, John Damozonio, now at a 4-3 record, suffered the loss despite Saint Mary’s commendable efforts, concluding their record at 36-25. With their 37th win this season, USC is now just one win away from advancing to the super regionals. Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s faces an upcoming elimination game against the host team, Oregon State, on Sunday. To progress, they must overcome USC twice in this double-elimination regional challenge.