USC evens Arizona series with 12-2 drubbing of Wildcats

A six-run third put this one away

Even though they scored 14 runs against the USC Trojans on Friday night to open the series, the Arizona Wildcats only had seven hits in that game.

They got five on Saturday.

USC evened the series with an emphatic 12-2 win over Arizona, setting up a Sunday rubber match.

The Trojans scored a pair in each of the first two frames, but it was the third when this one got out of hand.

After Michael Flynn gave up a leadoff single, Jay Johnson went to the bullpen and brought on left-hander Avery Weems.

Weems, who came into the game with a 4.58 ERA, the highest of any regular Wildcat pitcher, only made it worse.

Southern Cal welcomed him to the game with four consecutive singles, extending their lead to 6-0 in the process.

An infield fly gave Weems his first out of the game, but a double, sac fly, and single chased him and put Arizona in a 10-0 hole that they wouldn’t be able to climb out of.

Not even a little.

In fact, the Wildcats did not even record a hit until the sixth. Cal Stevenson ended Solomon Bates’ bid for a no-no with a one-out single to right.

A walk issued to Cameron Cannon loaded the bases for junior Alfonso Rivas, who drove in the team’s only two runs on the day with a single up the middle.

Alfonso Rivas III drives in two runs and @ArizonaBaseball is on the board.

Watch #Pac12BSB live on the app: https://t.co/ZhZuI5ezsa pic.twitter.com/ZOAcRvtB7t

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) April 14, 2018

Jonathan Guardado and Seve Romo would pitch the final five innings of the game for Arizona, allowing just two more Trojan runs over that span.

USC and Arizona will meet in the series rubber match on Sunday at 2 PM PT at Dedeaux Field. LHP Quentin Longrie is slated to start for the Trojans, while Arizona had not decided on a Sunday starter before this series began. Juan Aguilera could be an option after throwing 90 pitches vs. Grand Canyon on Tuesday.

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Arizona entered the day with an RPI of approximately 34th. Oregon State crushing Missouri State in Springfield will certainly help balance out the loss to the Trojans. USC entered the day approximately 95th.

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