USC falls to UCSB in fourth straight loss
The USC Trojans' struggles continue in their 5-1 loss to the UCSB Gauchos.
USC infielders in the huddle during an NCAA baseball against UCLA on April 4th, 2026 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. The No. 14 USC Trojans' offense was unable to keep up with the pitching powerhouse that is the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the 5-1 upset loss Tuesday afternoon.
The second matchup of the season for the two held a much different plot compared to last Tuesday's game between the Trojans and the Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara picked up the first run of the game from a leadoff home run by catcher Nate Vargas in the third inning, followed by a sacrifice groundout by Nick Husovsky that scored Ryan Severns to put them up 2-0. USC responded the next inning with their lone run of the game coming from a sacrifice fly ball from Kevin Takeuchi to score Adrian Lopez.
The Gauchos continued to tack on runs, with a 369-foot homer from Corey Nunez in the fourth and additional insurance runs in the sixth and eighth. The Trojans offense remained stale throughout the game, loading five hits and leaving seven runners on base. Left-hander Van Froling carried the largest load for UC Santa Barbara, pitching three scoreless innings and totaling three strikeouts.
Solid bullpen performances from Calvin Prosy and Cole Tryba kept USC baserunners at bay. Meanwhile, USC sophomore Chase Herrell lacked comfortability on the mound, having given up three runs in three innings pitched. UC Santa Barbara's dominant pitching performance is one of many on the season for the staff.