LOS ANGELES — It took 13 of them, but USC singled Cal State Fullerton into submission Tuesday night in the Trojans 7-4 win at Dedeaux Field. The Trojans (9-3) used 13 singles to keep the pressure on Fullerton’s (9-4) young pitching staff throughout the game.
USC’s only non-single came from Dante Flores in the second inning, but Flores was stranded on third after a triple, so all the Trojans’ production came from singles. All but one player in the Trojans’ lineup had a hit and the 2-6 batters in the lineup each had multi-hit performances.
Junior Adam Landecker led the way with three hits while senior Kevin Roundtree went 2-for-4 with the biggest single — a two-RBI version that squirreled just inside first base that rolled to a stop in short right field. The seventh-inning hit gave USC a 5-4 lead it never relinquished.
Cal State Fullerton didn’t have a hit off starter Brandon Garcia until the fifth inning, but it loaded the bases with a single, perfect hit-and-run to right field and a Keegan Dale bunt on which USC couldn’t get anyone out. With no one out, Fullerton was hoping to bust open the game. Two weak ground balls to third base threatened to crush the inning’s potential, but Michael Lorenzen lined an RBI single and Richy Pedroza crushed a two-run triple down the right field line to put the Titans up 4-0.
The only problem for Fullerton? It would only get one more hit. The bullpen combination of James Guillen, Brad Douthit, Wyatt Strahan and typical Friday night starter Andrew Triggs pitched four scoreless innings. Douthit picked up the win while Triggs, who entered with a runner on first base, picked up his first career save on three pitches inducing a double play and a line out.
Fullerton freshman Koby Gauna left with the lead after five innings of work. He allowed eight hits, but gave up only two runs.
Check out the full photo gallery from the USC/Cal State Fullerton Tuesday night matchup below:
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