When the USC baseball team lost its NCAA Tournament opener on Friday, Andy Stankiewicz’s team found itself in a difficult position. Suddenly, the Trojans needed to win four games in three days in order to win the regional and advance in the tournament.
Well, they did just that. On Monday night, USC defeated Texas A&M 7-1 for its fourth victory in a row—and the second straight over the No. 12 national seed Aggies. As a result, the Trojans are officially the champions of the College Station Regional.
The key moment of the game came in the top of the seventh inning, with USC clinging to a 2-1 lead. With runners on first and second and one out, designated hitter Augie Lopez hit a three-run home run to put the Trojans up 5-1, a lead that they would not relinquish.
Pitching on two days of rest, starter Grant Govel allowed just one run over four innings. Then, USC’s bullpen, which notably struggled during the regular season, held the powerful Texas A&M lineup scoreless over the final five frames.
USC now advances to its first super regional in 21 years. The Trojans will travel to Chapel Hill to face No. 5 national seed North Carolina this weekend. Exact dates and start times for the series have yet to be announced.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC baseball defeats Texas A&M 7-1, advances to super regionals
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
