Devastating Ninth Inning for USC Baseball

What might be remembered as one of the toughest innings in USC baseball history started off simply enough—with a routine out.

On Sunday, Trojans closer Adam Troy managed to get a ground ball to second base, putting his team ahead by one run in the bottom of the ninth. They were just two outs away from making it to the College World Series.

Troy had already made a name for himself during this NCAA Tournament Super Regional against North Carolina. He hadn’t been performing at his best after a shaky relief appearance in the eighth inning when he had two outs with runners on second and third. But he struck out the next batter, which was a relief.

As the Tar Heels celebrated exuberantly in their home stadium, the Trojans’ season ended with a 4-3 loss, leaving them with significant regrets after that first out in the ninth.

“As a head coach, you think, ‘Could I have done something different?’” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz reflected. “I have to figure it out, and I will.”

Where does he even begin?

With the bases loaded and one out, North Carolina’s Cooper Nicholson hit the second pitch he saw high into foul territory along the left field line. Troy waved his arms, trying to signal for the ball to stay fair, but it barely landed foul.

After falling to a 0-2 count, Nicholson took two pitches, fouled off another, then eventually drew a walk after running to a full count.

Then Carter French stepped up, and he made quick work of three pitches.

Losing faith in his closer’s ability to throw strikes, Stankiewicz made the bold choice to pull Troy mid-at-bat in favor of Chase Herrell.

“I felt like bringing in Chase would help get us strikes,” Stankiewicz explained.

Herrell indeed threw two strikes and even brought it to a full count, but then French hit a single over the right side, resulting in runners on first and third with one out.

Jake Schaffner followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, which tied the score at three.

Things quickly spiraled for Herrell, who then walked Gavin Gallaher in five pitches, loading the bases.

Up to that point, North Carolina had only managed to get runners in scoring position in three straight games and boasted a poor 2-for-25 batting average.

For a moment, it seemed they might go 2-for-26 when Owen Hull, who had already hit three doubles earlier, sent a pop-up into foul territory.

Maddox Riske, a third baseman for USC who had come on as a defensive substitute, dashed toward the wall but couldn’t catch the ball—it slipped out of his reach.

In a way, it was a mix of excitement and disappointment.

Hull soon connected with Herrell’s next pitch, sending it deep into left-center field. Center fielder Kevin Takeuchi attempted a sliding catch on the warning track, but despite his effort, he couldn’t make the play, letting the ball bounce off the wall.

While the Tar Heels reveled in their victory on the field, the Trojans were left in tears, watching too many dreams vanish in just a few heart-wrenching moments.

“It hurts,” Stankiewicz said. “This is a tough way to end the season.”