USC Passes Middle Tennessee State’s Test, 7-5

Middle Tennessee State wasn’t expected to offer third-ranked USC much of a challenge in the opening round of the NCAA baseball West I Regional. The Blue Raiders, after all, entered the playoffs with a 28-31 record--one of only two teams in the 48-team tournament with a losing record.

And for the first two innings of Friday’s game, 11-time national champion USC made it look like a mismatch. But in the end, the top-seeded Trojans, who committed three errors, had to quell a ninth-inning threat to emerge with a 7-5 victory before a crowd of 1,478 at Dedeaux Field.

Creighton defeated Pepperdine, 5-3, and Minnesota defeated Hawaii, 5-3, in other opening round games to advance to the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

USC will play Pepperdine today at 3:15. Minnesota plays Creighton at 7:30 p.m. Hawaii faces Middle Tennessee State in an elimination game at 11 a.m.

“We definitely had our chances,” said Middle Tennessee State Coach Steve Peterson, whose team won the Ohio Valley Conference championship to qualify for the playoffs.

USC, playing host to a regional for the first time since 1978, started impressively. Brett Jenkins drove in two of the Trojans’ three first-inning runs with a single off senior left-hander Chris Crabtree (8-7).

USC freshman right-hander Kent Donnelly (7-1) had a 6-1 lead by the end of the second inning. The big hit of the inning was a run-scoring double by Corey Aurand, who had three hits.

After Middle Tennessee State pulled within 6-4 in the fifth, Jeff Cirillo singled in a run in the seventh to put the Trojans ahead 7-4. Cirillo, however, committed a throwing error from third to start the ninth, and Mudcat Brewer’s single off reliever Phil Kendall brought the tying run to the plate.

Kendall got two outs before surrendering a run-scoring single to Corey Watkins. Dan Hubbs replaced Kendall and got Phillip Edwards to hit a ground ball that resulted in the final out.

Senior right-hander Mike Heathcott pitched a five-hitter and third baseman Scott Stahoviak had three hits, including an inside-the-park home run in the third inning, to lead Creighton over Pepperdine.

Minnesota’s Ryan Lefebvre had three hits and also drove in a run to help the Golden Gophers deal Hawaii All-American Bill Blanchette his first loss in 15 decisions. Blanchette, a junior left-hander who played at Pepperdine in 1989, surrendered 15 hits, 12 in the first four innings when Minnesota jumped to a 5-0 lead.