On Friday afternoon, USC baseball won its first NCAA Tournament game in 10 years, dominating TCU 13-1. It was a resounding effort from the Trojans, who were the better team in every aspect of the game. The most impressive performance of all, though, came from starting pitcher Caden Aoki. The senior showed why he is the Trojans’ ace, allowing just one run on four hits over eight innings. Aoki threw 114 pitches, and did not walk a single batter.
The performance was exactly what USC needed, especially given the nature of the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans could potentially play as many as five games in four days. To barely have to use their bullpen at all on Friday was a huge victory, and one that could benefit USC significantly over the next few days.
The Trojans will be back in action on Saturday night, when they will face Saint Mary’s. First pitch from Corvallis will be at 6 p.m. Pacific time. If the Trojans can beat the Gaels, they will advance to the regional final and will have two chances to advance to the super regionals one week from now.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Caden Aoki steps up, pitches like an ace for USC baseball
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
