Complete game from Caden Aoki earns USC 7th straight series win

The baseball team is now 28-14 and 13-7 in conference play. Their win on Saturday secured another BIG road series win. Individually, the day belongs to Caden Aoki. In a 110-pitch game, the right-hander earned the win in a complete game. It wasn't until the ninth inning that Minnesota pulled one back in a solo home run effort. The RHP only allowed two total hits on the day in the 6-1 victory.

Aoki had nine strikeouts and helped the Trojans retire the Gophers side six times in a 1-2-3 inning. At the bottom of the fourth, the back-to-back Ks got them out of the inning. The top of the fifth then saw Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek hit a grand slam to left-center field to give USC a 4-0 lead.

Two groundouts and another strikeout from Aoki sent the game to the top of the sixth. Here, Andrew Lamb hit a single. The Gophers then switched pitchers. Jack Basseer made contact that stayed fair down the third base line, and Lamb was able to score from his starting first base position.

Grudzielanek hit a single at the top of the seventh with two men on base, and Brayden Dowd scored to give the Trojans a comfortable 6-0 lead. Coach Andy Stankiewicz kept Aoki out there and only gave up a single in the eighth and the aforementioned homer in the ninth.

USC finding their groove at the right time

Naturally, after a performance on the mound like what he had, Aoki won the Helmet of the Game. He spoke with members of the USC media team following the series-clinching win, as shared on X. The senior shared what the win meant for him and the team:

"It feels really good. I mean, feels like the team's in flow state. We're kind of just getting out to the yard and getting the job done... Everyone's just playing really good and it's really fun to watch."

With the third game against Minnesota on Sunday and a lone fixture against CSUN on Tuesday, the Trojans will look to continue their impressive form.