Saturday win needed for USC as Trojans drop 2nd in a row against Washington

Most believe that USC is going to be able to extend their stay in Omaha, Nebraska, past the Big Ten Tournament. Winning the current series against Washington would have helped put the concern to rest altogether. Instead, the Trojans now find themselves in a must-win situation and will need to have a good couple of outings in BIG post-season play.

The series against the Huskies is lost, but a Saturday win would help to stop the current bleeding. Having lost four of their last five games, their place in the College World Series picture is becoming less certain than what it was during their win streak.

The Trojans dropped the game on the road at Washington in a low-scoring 3-1 affair on Friday evening.

Caden Aoki went six innings and threw 106 pitches. Despite recording four strikeouts and only allowing three runs (one unearned), it wasn't enough to secure the win. Sax Matson came in for the final two innings. The sophomore also threw for four strikeouts and did well to limit the damage, but the bats couldn't get going today in another game where the Trojans left more batters stranded than their opponents in a loss.

That's part of the game sometimes. For teams that can be as good as USC, it's normal to hit a little bit of a rut. It's coming at the worst possible time for the Trojans, to their misfortune.

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek did manage to tie things up at the top of the third with a sac fly that brought Richard Tejeda in. The credit on the day was to go to Washington, however. In a pitcher-friendly ballpark, the Huskies have done well to silence the Trojan offense to this point.

Seeding on the line for USC

Now playing for a fourth-place finish in conference play, a win on Saturday would allow USC to hold off Washington heading into the BIG tourney. A loss would see them passed by the Huskies.

This is a coach, Andy Stankiewicz, ball club that can compete with anyone in the nation. Like what Trojan fans saw against Michigan State, even in a losing series effort, USC will still show plenty of fight and bounce-back ability. Only now, they'll need to, not just for the NCAA selections, but to regain some of that energy heading into the postseason.