USC starts NCAA tournament with impressive 13-1 win over TCU

It has been 10 years since USC played in the NCAA tournament. While it took some late-season drama for the Trojans to get in, they made the most of it in their Corvallis debut. It was a game that Andy Stankiewicz's ball club dominated from start to finish. While it was TCU who entered the day ranked, throughout the 13-1 victory, the Big Ten team showed just how dangerous they can be.

As can be seen by the final score line, everyone in the Cardinal and Gold had a good day. At times, for the Trojans, it has been difficult to muster up the needed pace, and USC saw a lot of close ones escape their grasp and result in losses. During Friday's action, however, everything went right.

Caden Aoki went eight innings, throwing 114 pitches. The senior is someone who does a good job of always staying in control at the mound. Between his command of his pictures and overall composure, the Horned Frogs truly did not stand a chance to keep this one even remotely close. Contrast the USC pitching staff that then saw Sax Matson come in to finish off the game. TCU used seven arms in the tournament opener.

When it came to the offense, everyone was able to score at least one run. Adrian Lopez and Richard Tejeda, in particular, had outstanding days with three RBIs each. Truthfully, the scoreline could have looked even better for the Trojans if it weren't for the wind taking a couple of deep balls away.

Something to keep an eye on for USC

The small ball approach from USC was highly effective during this first game and is what allowed the Trojans to grab their early opening lead that they then managed to keep adding to. That is something to continue to monitor, as it was something that TCU struggled to deal with.

USC will now wait for the winners of St. Mary's and Oregon State, who are hosting in this Corvallis region. The second game for the Trojans will take place on Saturday, May 31st, at 6:00 p.m. PT.