Kevin Takeuchi surge evens up series against Gonzaga in 9-5 win

Everything is to play for on Saturday as USC is sitting on level terms with their West Coast Conference opponents Gonzaga. The first game on Thursday saw something of a frustrating evening for Andy Stankiewicz's ball club as they nearly forced a comeback. Fortunately for the Trojans, they quickly put that out of mind, as the rubber match, also at Great Park, will be needed to determine the winner of this series.

A lot can happen within a series and on a game-to-game basis. During USC's 9-5 win, it was Kevin Takeuchi who found a way to get himself going as he earned the Helmet of the Game, as shared by the team's social media account.

Although the first game against the Bulldogs saw the Trojans get some good hits, they weren't able to quite get the job done. Friday saw Takeuchi come up with big-time moments to grab the win. He went 2-for-3 during his at-bats, including a home run and three RBIs.

In terms of drama, this one had it all. USC grabbed an early lead heading into the second with a 3-1 lead. Adrian Lopez had a two-run homer, and Abbrie Covarrubias supplied the third run through an RBI double.

Covarrubias then added one more at the bottom of the third inning with an RBI single. He would finish 2-for-4 on the day, but his early production gave the Trojans the needed early boost. The fifth proved to be somewhat unforgiving as the Zags evened it up at four apiece.

The sixth and seventh innings are when Takeuchi took over. He was assisted by Adrian Lopez, who retook the lead through an RBI single before the Takeuchi HR. Brayden Dowd added one more in the seventh to provide an extra layer of security for the victory.

Trojans' pitching gets the job done

USC only needed to use two pitchers on the day. Caden Aoki started on the mound and went six innings. The right-hander threw 89 pitches and struck out nine Zags. He only earned four runs, and coach Stankiewicz was able to keep him out there as he did well, particularly in the second, third, and fourth, which all ended in three-and-outs for Gonzaga.

Andrew Johnson pitched the final three innings, allowing only one earned run. The right-hander had two strikeouts. He was able to get out of the top of the seventh without further damage when, with the bases loaded, USC was able to turn two and get to the middle of the inning. The freshman picked up the win.