No. 3-seeded USC advanced to the Corvallis regional final after beating Saint Mary’s 6-4 on Friday night at Goss Stadium. The Trojans belted three home runs early and held off the Gaels late in the game to seal the win.
Mason Edwards was the winning pitcher on the night, giving up just three earned runs and punching out six batters in 5.1 innings of work. Flame-throwing right-hander Caden Hunter got the save, recording the final four outs for his team.
After falling behind 3-1 early on, the Trojan offense roared to life. With a runner on base and two outs in the fourth, first-baseman Augie Lopez launched a two-run homer to right-center, tying the game. The following inning, junior Ethan Hedges hit a solo shot to give USC the lead. The Trojans extended this lead with a Richard Tejada RBI single in the sixth, making it a 5-3 game…