USC baseball looking to get back on track against Gonzaga after Hawai'i loss

Tuesday saw USC baseball lose a close one to Hawai'i, as coach Andy Stankiewicz's team couldn't outlast their opponents at Page Stadium. The 5-4 defeat included a grand slam from Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek at the bottom of the third. It proved not to be enough for the Trojans. With a little over a month left before the Big Ten Tournament, the non-conference games should help prepare this side for the rest of their BIG competition.

At LMU, the bats weren't able to get going enough to grab the win. During four of the innings, the Trojans saw their defense immediately forced back onto the field with sudden three-and-outs. While the HR by Martin-Grudzielanek gave USC the lead early on, it was only one of five hits on the day.

He provided one of the other hits during the seventh. Unfortunately for him, he was one of three Trojans who were left stranded on base. This contrasted with what fans saw against Penn State, when they were seemingly always able to get the clutch at-bat when they needed it.

WCC opposition next for USC baseball

They will aim to push past this latest setback at home when hosting Gonzaga at Great Park on Thursday. The West Coast Conference side currently sits at 17-15 on the year, including a 10-2 in-conference record. With a prior series sweep against the BIG Washington Huskies team, the WCC members hope to have something of a repeat of history this week. 

Against the Rainbow Warriors, it was Martin-Grudzielanek who found some success at the plate. Considering the type of year Ethan Hedges, Abbrie Covarrubias, and Brayden Dowd are having, it's safe to say that the Bulldogs will not be able to depend on USC baseball staying at bay on offense. Coach Stankiewicz knows what this ball club is capable of, and they had a couple of days to help prepare for their next test.