USC baseball falls 12-4 to Oregon State in top 15 matchup
In their first ranked matchup of the season, the Trojans struggled and suffered just their second defeat of the year
After a remarkable 24-1 start to the season, the USC baseball team entered the top ten of the rankings this week. If there was one caveat to the Trojans’ hot start, however, it was that none of their 24 victories in 25 games to open the year came against ranked opponents. On Tuesday, USC got its first opportunity against a ranked team, as the Trojans welcomed Oregon State to Dedeaux Field for a top-15 matchup.
In addition to an old Pac-12 battle, it served as a rematch of their two games in last year’s NCAA Tournament, both of which the Beavers won in dominant fashion . Unfortunately for the Trojans, the outcome was the same this time around. USC’s pitching—which had been dominant on the season—struggled mightily against Oregon State, as the Trojans fell 12-4 at home.
It should be noted that USC did not have either Mason Edwards or Grant Govel on the mound Tuesday. Both of the Trojans’ top two starters have been dominant on the season thus far, but neither was available for the Oregon State game, having both pitched over the weekend. While the loss is certainly a setback, USC is still in great position overall.
The Trojans will look to get back on track when they visit Maryland for a three-game series this weekend. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC baseball suffers second loss of season, falls 12-4 to Oregon State