Seeking a reversal of fortunes, the USC baseball team went back to one of its mantras.
The saying means that the No. 23 Trojans can win in a variety of ways, which they showedonce more Sunday at Dedeaux Fieldby pulverizing Purdue, 11-4, to complete a three-game sweep one week after suffering the same fate at the hands of Nebraska.
USC won each game against the Boilermakersin differing fashion after rallying for a 4-3 victory in the series opener. On Saturday, the Trojans rode a masterpiece from starting pitcher Grant Govel, who took a perfect game into the eighth inning of his team’s 6-1 triumph.
The series finale was an unlikely runaway after USC gave up three runs in the first inning. Andrew Johnson pitched five innings of scoreless relief and the Trojans pounded out 12 hits against five Purdue pitchers to notch their fourth consecutive victory.
“We’re always going to be competitive no matter what day it is,” USC left fielder Andrew Lamb said of the team’s mentality, “and this week we showed we could do it all ways.”
The sweep vaulted USC (34-11 overall, 16-8 Big Ten) past Purdue (28-15, 15-9) into fourth place in the conference standings and improved its home record to a sterling 25-1.
Once more, the Trojans had found a way.
“That’s part of good programs, right?” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said. “Good teams figure out ways to win a game. Winning’s hard, and it’s really difficult to sweep. I liked the mentality today. You know you win two games, you’ve won the series, sometimes you let off the gas pedal a little bit. When they jumped out early, a little bit lesser team would go, ‘OK, we’ve already won the series, it’s whatever — whatever happens, happens.’
California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.
“But the boys, I’m proud of them. We stayed on it, put some good at-bats together and played some nice defense as well.”
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
