The Trojans (7-0) outmatched the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (0-5) in their dominant 11-1 win.

Contrasting from their game against Oakland the night before, the Trojans started the game off strong with a 1-2-3 inning from right-handed pitcher Kyle Twomey. Twomey pitched an overall stellar game with six strikeouts against 24 batters. In 7.0 innings pitched, he threw a total of 94 pitches and 60 strikes. Twomey is now 2-0 with an ERA of .64.

His ability to keep the Oakland hitters on the ground in the infield was key to the Trojans’ victory. Head Coach Dan Hubbs pointed out that Twomey had better control over his fastball compared to his previous start this season.

“He was able to move the ball in and out, utilize his change, and get them off balance,” Hubbs commented.

Twomey reflected on his improvements from his previous start. He mentioned that he was “a little over-amped up” for last week’s game. 

“I was more relaxed and comfortable this week,” Twomey stated. “I was able to hit my spots.” 

Overall, USC had a fantastic defensive performance—committing no errors. When they played Oakland the night before, USC committed 4 errors. The Trojans had a total of five 1-2-3 innings—all from Twomey—against Oakland.

“Anytime that we put up a zero, it gets us right back into the flow of things,” Hubbs mentioned. “It’s a huge momentum boost for the offense and demoralizing the other team.”

The Trojans translated their defensive success into a powerful offensive attack. With 16 hits (5 errors by Oakland), the Trojans were collected and balanced at the plate. USC scored runs in all but two innings. Junior third baseman Blake Lacey, .417 batting average, had the most hits, going 3-for-3 with 1 RBI and 2 runs. Junior right fielder AJ Ramirez, .321 batting average, had a team-high 4 RBIs and went 2-for-4. 

Overall, the Trojans had a productive day at the plate with 16 hits, 8 RBIs, and 4 walks. 

“Guys one through nine in the line-up are getting balls that they can handle and hitting them hard,” Twomey reflected about the team’s offensive power.”

USC has significantly improved their base running this season. With 7 stolen bases this game, the Trojans have stolen 28 bases in six games this season. To put this in perspective, last season USC only stole 39 bases. Hubbs explained that the team put an emphasis on stealing bases during the fall and that the team has really embraced it as a priority.

“Anytime you can take extra bases,” Hubbs mentioned. “You’re that much closer to home.” 

While the Trojans had a fantastic game, there were some specific standout plays for USC. Their first run scored was from senior catcher Garrett Stubbs, who got on base off of a drop third strike, off a sac-fly from junior center fielder Timmy Robinson. In the bottom of the second, Ramirez drove the ball deep into right field for a single to score sophomore shortstop Reggie Southall from second to make it 2-0. 

The only inning that gave Twomey some trouble was the top of the third when Oakland scored 1 run. The Trojan defense backed Twomey up and turned a double play from second to first to end the inning. 

The highlight of the game for Oakland was when they turned a triple play in the bottom of the third. A line drive was hit to their first basemen, who tagged his bag and threw it to second to turn the triple play. 

Overall the Trojans produced a solid, dominant effort for the victory over Oakland. If USC can carry the togetherness and flow that they had throughout this game, they should continue their roll of wins. Twomey spoke about how he’s happy about his team’s success so far and he sees that they will “win a lot of games.”

“If we can just stay in all the games and continue to swing the bats the way we are,” Twomey commented. “We’ll have no problem.”

USC is the only remaining undefeated team in the Pac-12 after UCLA lost to North Carolina earlier in the day.

“It’s more about how we play that who we play,” Hubbs mentioned about his team’s play and being undefeated so far. 

The Trojans close out the series against Oakland at 1pm on Sunday at Dedeaux Field. 

Contact Staff Reporter Jodee Sullivan here. Follow her on Twitter here.