No. 6 USC Drops First Series of Season to UCLA
The No. 6 USC baseball team (26-9, 8-4) dropped two of three to visiting No. 7 UCLA in the first matchup with both teams being in the nation's top-10 since 2000. The Trojans suffered a 9-3 loss in the opener Friday, as the Bruins used two three-run homers to open up the gap. In the Saturday night rivalry clash in front of a sold-out crowd, USC claimed a 5-0 win to seal the first home win against UCLA in the past five attempts. Sunday's rubber match featured a similar appearance to the meeting, with the Bruins using two three-run innings in the sixth and ninth to pounce the Trojans 8-3. Redshirt junior Bobby Stahel landed a home run in both of the first two games and ripped a base hit Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 17 games and after the game, sophomore Jeremy Martinez discussed being able to bounce back from a difficult loss to a conference opponent.
USC looks to recover with a one-game road stint in Malibu, California to take on Pepperdine in the second leg of a home-and-home series between the two ball clubs. The Trojans and Waves will take the field Tuesday with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m.