USC's super regional dreams dashed in season-ending loss to Oregon State

Los Angeles Times

2 days ago

CORVALLIS, Ore. — There's levels to a proper program build. Baby steps have to sometimes be taken, even if everyone involved would like to jump past several of those. Lessons have to be learned. Experiences, both positive and negative, have to be endured.
USC suffered through one of those difficult experiences, getting manhandled by national championship contender Oregon State for the second day in a row in the Corvallis Regional final. The Beavers completely shut down USC's offensive attack in the winner-take-all regional final, eliminating the Trojans from the NCAA tournament with a 9-0 victory.
Oregon State freshman James DeCremer, making just his second start of the season, held USC to just two hits in five scoreless innings. Then sophomore Eric Segura, who was pulled in the first inning of his start Friday after getting knocked around by Saint Mary's, fired three scoreless frames. Sophomore Laif Palmer closed out the final inning inducing the fifth double play of the day and getting a strikeout after the Trojans managed only their third hit of the game. All three Beaver youngsters fired mid-90s fastballs, something rare amongst the USC pitching staff.
The Beavers did it with young arms and a fearsome heart of its lineup is as three of its four big boppers — Aiva Arquette, Gavin Turley and Trent Caraway — all hit home runs.
Turley got the Beavers on the board in the first inning chopping a single through the right side to score Easton Talt after he had led off the first inning with a double off the right-center field wall. As Turley waited on deck for his second at bat, Arquette expanded Oregon State's lead to 3-0, launching a 414-foot homer into the left-center field bleachers for his 18th home run of the season but first in front of the Goss Stadium home fans. Undeterred, Turley said anything you can do, I can do better, blasting one 418 feet for a solo shot that left his bat at 110 mph.
The Beavers added tallies in each of the next two innings with Caraway launching a parabolic solo home run to left field in the fifth inning for his fifth home run in as many Corvallis Regional games, which earned him the Most Outstanding Player honors for the regional.
Burly Jacob Krieg put the finishing touches on the beatdown with a three-run homer in the eighth inning.
With the win, Oregon State advances to the super regional round. It will host Florida State in a three-game series next weekend after the Seminoles won the Tallahassee Regional.