USC Baseball Takes Down Cal to Advance to Pac-12 Title Game - USC Athletics (2024)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Freshman Brayden Dowd drove in four runs as the USC baseball team outlasted Cal to advance to the Pac-12 Championship Game with a thrilling 7-4 win over the Golden Bears on Friday afternoon in Scottsdale.

Dowd hit a go-ahead three-run homer and added an RBI groundout later to plate over half of the Trojans' runs on the day. The Trojan pitching staff battled all afternoon as well, limiting the damage when Cal put runners on, stranding eight Bears, including two in the ninth. USC moves to 31-27 on the year and will face either Stanford or Arizona on Saturday night for the Pac-12 Tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Cal falls to 36-19 on the year with the loss. The Bears came into the game having won 20 of their last 24 and USC's win extended its winning streak to nine consecutive victories as two of the hottest teams in the country squared off on Friday.

The Trojans gave up single runs in both the first and second innings and trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth, but Dowd hit a three-run shot to put USC in front. It was the first home run of his career. Dowd wasn't done there, as he drove in a run on a groundout in the sixth inning to make it 4-2.

The Golden Bears rallied, however, scoring twice in the top of the seventh to even things up. Cal got an RBI single from Carson Crawford in the inning and loaded the bases with one out, but the Trojan bullpen held the Bears to one run on an RBI groundout and a popup.

A sacrifice fly from Austin Overn put USC right back in front in the bottom half of the seventh. Dean Carpentier then provided some insurance, hitting an RBI triple in the eighth. Carpentier would then score on a single by Ryan Jackson to make it 7-4 USC.

Tyler Stromsborg got the start and kept Cal in check for the better part of his 6.0 innings on the mound. He allowed single runs in the first and second, and then settled in for four scoreless frames. He exited after Cal scored one in the seventh, turning it over to the trio of Michael Ebner, Jared Feikes and Mason Edwards who limited the damage with the aforementioned RBI groundout and popup. Each reliever picked up one out in the frame.

The Trojans' star closer Josh Blum took it home from there, tossing scoreless eighth and ninth innings to pick up his third save of the tournament. Blum worked around a base hit in the eighth, and then gave up two singles to start the ninth. Blum settled in and got a popup, struck out All-Pac-12 catcher Caleb Lomavita and got Rodney Green Jr. to ground out to end the game.

TOP PERFORMERS

• Brayden Dowd: 1-for-4, 4 RBI, 3-R HR
• Ryan Jackson: 2-for-3, RBI, R
• Tyler Stromsborg: 6.0 IP, 8H, 4R, 0BB, 3K
• Josh Blum: S, 2.0 IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, K

COMING UP
USC will play either Arizona or Stanford at 7 p.m. in the Pac-12 Title Game on Saturday. That game can be seen live on ESPNU.

Brayden Dowd chatted with the booth after USC's finals-clinching win over Cal 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Sh2nVxSac0

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) May 25, 2024