SAN DIEGO – San Diego State had its three-game winning streak halted on Sunday in an 11-5 loss to USC at the Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament.
Despite maintaining a 13-8 edge in hits, the Aztecs stranded 11 base runners, as the Trojans (4-2) capitalized on four errors to overcome a 5-0 deficit. Incredibly, 10 of USC's runs were unearned, while seven came with two outs.
SDSU (5-2) wasted no time getting on the board in the first when Mike Jarvis led off with a towering home run over the left-field fence.
The Aztecs extended the margin to 3-0 in the third when Wyatt Hendrie singled to center field, driving in Brian Leonhardt and Ryan Orr. Previously, Leonhardt drew a leadoff walk, while Orr followed with a single through the left side. Moments later, Anthony Walters moved the two runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
SDSU padded its lead with a pair of unearned runs in the fourth on Orr's two-run single to left field, which brought home Jarvis and Matt Rudick. Jarvis reached on a fielding error by third baseman Jamal O'Guinn, while Rudick promptly laced a double to right.
Trailing 5-0, USC stole the Aztecs' momentum with five markers in the fifth, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple down the left-field line by Ben Ramirez with two outs. All five of the visitors' runs were unearned thanks to a throwing error on a botched force play at second following Tyler Lozano's grounder to third with one out.
SDSU put two runners aboard in the sixth when Hendrie led off with an infield single, while Jarvis was intentionally walked with two outs. However, Trojan reliever Quentin Longrie entered and quickly got a strikeout to extinguish the threat.
USC jumped in front for good with two tallies in the seventh. Lozano, who walked and advanced on a wild pitch, came around to score on Caden Miller's fielding error, while Ramirez reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a walk to McGuinn, and subsequently touched home after Hendrie's pick-off attempt down to first went awry.
The Aztecs had a chance in the eighth after Rudick and Schmitt hit back-to-back singles with two outs, but Chandler Champlain struck out Brian Leonhardt to end the inning.
The Trojans added four more runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach. Thomas and Tyresse Turner crossed the plate on an Aztec fielding error, while Ben Wanger knocked in McGuinn and Clay Owens with a double to right.
Rudick and Orr led the Scarlet and Black with three hits apiece, while Schmitt and Hendrie finished with two each.
Reliever Christian Winston (1-1) absorbed the loss after allowing the two go-ahead runs in the seventh. Starter Aaron Eden went 4.2 innings, yielding five runs on five hits and two walks to go with a game-high five strikeouts.
Conversely, USC reliever Ethan Hoopingarner picked up the win after retiring all six batters he faced in the sixth and seven. Starter Alex Cornwell lasted 3 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on nine hits and one walk. At the plate, Thomas finished with a team-high three hits, while Ramirez totaled three RBIs.
San Diego State returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when it travels up the coast for a single game at UC Irvine, starting at 6 p.m. PT.