USC baseball wins fifth straight series after 11-6 victory over Penn State

The USC baseball bats got going on Sunday as they completed a tough series win on the road against Penn State. After having lost a narrow ball game Friday night, Saturday and Sunday saw coach Andy Stankiewicz's team show the ability to shake off a close loss and perform well the following days.

In the deciding game on Sunday, the Trojans defeated the Nittany Lions 11-6 at Medlar Field. USC was able to turn 11 hits and three PSU errors into 11 runs, but it wasn't all smooth sailing and only further showed how gritty this ball club can be.

Sax Matson started on the mound and was relieved at the bottom of the second. Jackson Baker entered with the bases loaded and hit his first Penn State batter to give the hosts the 1-0 lead. The right-hander did well, however, to further limit the damage as he went on to strike out the next two batters and got out of the inning by only giving up the one score.

This was when the visitors took over. The third inning saw Brayden Dowd grab an RBI double to get things rolling. Ethan Hedges then hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Richard Tejeda. The at-bats of Augie Lopez and Abbrie Covarrubias then pushed the Trojan lead up to 5-1.

Dowd hit his second RBI of the day in the fourth. A four-run homer by PSU brought the score within striking distance for the home team as it was 6-5 heading into the fifth. Once again, the offense got itself into a rhythm when the Trojans needed it and was able to create some separation again.

BIG series secured for USC baseball

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek had a solo home run to start the inning, as Covarrubias managed to follow that up later on with an RBI single. Dean Carpentier then added an RBI double, and USC found itself up 9-5.

Penn State managed to get one back at the bottom of the fifth, but the USC bullpen kept PSU at bay for the rest of the game as the hosts would not score anymore. Kevin Takeuchi grabbed an RBI double in the seventh. Tejeda came home in the eighth on an unearned run from third base off a throwing error.

It was the third Big Ten series win on the road for USC baseball. They will play Hawaii next on Tuesday at Page Stadium on the Loyola Marymount University campus.