Los Angeles – The USC Trojans used a six-run fifth inning to down the Arizona Wildcats 8-5 Friday night in the second game of a three-game series at Dedeaux Field.
The Trojans were able to rally for six runs, all with two outs in the inning to break open the game and even up the series at one game apiece after the Wildcats won the opener Thursday night. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Cats.
The Cats (28-15, 11-9 Pac-12) struck first Friday, plating two runs in the first inning. Cody Ramer led off with a single and Zach Gibbons followed with one of his own to move Ramer to third. After a short fly ball to left from Alfonso Rivas that didn't advance either runner, Ryan Aguilar singled up the middle to plate Ramer and Gibbons, who had moved to second on a wild pitch.
The two runs in the first marked the fourth time in the past six games that the Wildcats plated at least one run in the first to grab an early lead. All six games have been on the road.
The Trojans (19-22, 8-9) responded with a run in the first to cut it to 2-1. That remained the score all the way until the fifth inning after USC's Kyle Davis tossed four straight scoreless frames and Arizona starter JC Cloney responded with three straight. In the fifth, however, USC would break the game open.
Cloney retired the first two batters of the inning, but then gave up a base hit to ninth-place hitter Brandon Perez. After Corey Dempster doubled and David Oppenheim was hit by a pitch, Timmy Robinson singled to score Perez and Dempster and give USC a 3-2 lead.
Robinson marked Cloney's final hitter of the game and he was replaced by right-hander Matt Hartman. The sophomore hit the first man he faced to load the bases for right fielder AJ Ramirez. Ramirez then took Hartman deep for a grand slam to straightaway center field to give the Trojans a 7-2 lead.
USC added another run in the sixth to make it 8-2.
The Cats plated their third run of the game an inning later in the seventh. Ramer drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Gibbons then scolded a ball to Perez at shortstop that went for a hit to score Ramer. It was Gibbons' third hit of the night and 246th of his career. Gibbons is now just four hits away from tying Ron Hassey for 10th all-time on the Arizona career hits list.
Arizona plated two more runs in the ninth and Gibbons was in the middle of it again. The right fielder walked to lead off the inning and then moved to third when Aguilar roped a double to right-centerfield with one out. Bobby Dalbec followed with a single to center to score both runners and cut it to 8-5.
Gibbons finished the night 3 for 4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. He entered the game as the Pac-12's leading hitter at .388. Aguilar finished 2 for 5 with a pair of RBI. Dalbec also finished 2 for 5 with two RBI.
The rubber match in the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. Dalbec is scheduled to start for Arizona and will be opposed by fellow right-handed pitcher Mitch Hart. The game will be televised by Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein and Kevin Stocker on the call for the third straight game.
