Seeking a reversal of fortunes, the USC baseball team went back to one of its mantras.
All ways always.
The saying means that the No. 23 Trojans can win in a variety of ways, which they showed once more Sunday at Dedeaux Field by 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 Boilermakers in 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.’
“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.”
What it means
Beyond erasing the sting of their recent funk, the Trojans have better positioned themselves for the Big Ten Tournament.
Moving into sole possession of fourth place in the conference standings means that USC is on track to get a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament along with the top three teams.
Turning point
After falling into a 3-0 hole, the Trojans countered with four runs in the bottom of the first, with the big blows coming on Abbrie Covarrubias’ two-run single, Lamb’s run-scoring double and Isaac Cadena’s leadoff homer.
The Trojans tacked on two more runs in the third on Jack Basseer’s leadoff homer and Maddox Riske’s run-scoring single to left field.
The floodgates opened in the eighth when Adrian Lopez blasted a three-run homer to center and Augie Lopez (no relation) followed with a homer to right on the next pitch.
Did you see that?
Basseer’s home run that landed just inside the left-field foul pole was so close that he lingered near home plate to make sure it was fair before commencing his home run trot.
MVP
Wanting to see how freshman Gavin Lauridsen would fare in just his second start of the season, Stankiewicz handed him the ball.
When Lauridsen departed after only two innings, the Trojans needed some quality relief.
Johnson was more than happy to provide it, pitching five scoreless innings. The right-hander was nearly flawless, allowing only one hit while tallying four strikeouts and two walks.
“He just stepped up in a big way in a big moment,” Stankiewicz said. “He’s a strike-thrower, and I think in those moments what do we need? We need someone who can command the ball well and throw strikes. To his credit, he stepped right up.”
Up next
The Trojans hit the road to face UC Irvine at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a nonconference game before returning home Friday to start a three-game Big Ten series against Rutgers.