Ethan Hedges Homers twice to raise the USC baseball in front of Saint Mary’s

Corvalis Edge. – Saint Mary’s coach Eric Valenzuela knew who he didn’t want to beat him.

Before Saturday evening’s match with the USC, Valenzuela appointed Ethan Hedges as the most scary striker in the programming of the Trojans, even if the All-American of mid-season had not played at the same level in the second half of the season.

Hedges struck. 415 with 22 additional strokes, including 11 circuits and 39 points produced in the first 32 USC games. Since April 8, hedges did not have the same electricity. Over a period of 25 games, he struck .247 with only five strokes and 17 points produced.

However, fear was there for opposing coaches. Hedges showed why on Saturday.

He broke out with a performance with two homher, including the lip ball, to supply the USC to a 6-4 victory and in the regional final of Corvalis. Trojans (37-21) have been a victory for their first super regional appearance since 2005.

“He was just in situations where we really had to go there,” said Valenzuela. “I mean, if you make a mistake to a good player like that, he will make you pay for that, then he hurt us today.”

Hedges provided the opening salvo, sending a suspended cursor which relaven from the stands barely occupied in metal in the field of the center left for a single round solo circuit. USC coach Andy Stankiewicz saw it as a positive sign that hedges can start again in its first half form at the right time.

“He uses the middle of the field so well. This is his strength,” said Stankiewicz. “But we talked if a cursor or a remaining speed remains in the middle, go ahead and get a good ball flight to the traction side.”

When Hedges recognized the rotation of the terrain and saw it in the area, he punished it, causing the ball estimated at 399 feet to the stands of the center left.

The left -hander of the USC, Mason Edwards, launched an effective round of 5⅓, requiring only 64 locations before being removed after abandoning his sixth blow. Two of those who have erased the Goss stadium wall, giving Saint Mary (36-25) an advance from the start of 3-1, but the USC showed resilience which has been a key element of the program under Stankiewicz the last three years.

“Throughout this year, we had a lot of ups and downs,” said Hedges. “But we know each other, we are where we want to be and the guys do it.”

With two withdrawals and apparently no momentum in the fourth round, Abbrie Covarrubias de l’USC rose on the base by beating a high chop at the Cop stop. The first -year student Augie Lopez equalized two throws later when he demolished a quick bullet, putting it at the top of the dashboard in the right field.

The USC launcher, Mason Edwards, book against Saint Mary in the regional corvalis on Saturday.

(Hunting rifle / for time rifle)

The second explosion of the Hedges match – a quick ball of the fifth round which he struck on the field of the center right – gave a 4-3 advance at USC.

Trojan horses led 5-3 before the eighth when things became risky. Saint Mary loaded the basics with a pair of simple sweets on the right ground and a four -step walk. A sacrificial fly brought the Three Tauurek Gaels holes to the plate. The USC ASc lifer, Brodie Purcell, made Taurek founded in the choice of a defender field, but Stankiewicz made the intriguing decision to shoot the right -hander Purcell, the trojans battle horse out of the pen of the season, in favor of the left Caden Hunter despite a right striker.

“When he came to the mound, I said,” That is why you came here. He had a big smile on his face and said, “Absolutely guy, let’s go”. said Stankiewicz, who mentioned Hunter’s ability to attack with more speed as a momentum for the move.

Abbrie Covarrubias of the USC Cody Kashimoto label of Saint Mary during a stolen base attempt on Saturday.

(Hunting rifle / for time rifle)

Hunter, who had worked as leaving this season until the last weeks, withdrew the cleaning shot from Saint Mary, Ryan Pierce, on a quick 95 -h / h ball after having pumped several offers of 96 and 97 mi / h – his most difficult terrain of the season – earlier in the count. The Trojan horses added an insurance race in the lower half of the Channel before Hunter rejects the last three strikers of Saint Mary to recover its first division I Save, putting the horses of Troy at the door to advance it in a super regional and being one of the last 16 remaining teams.

“We have heard the coach say 1,000 times that it is time to bring this program where he was,” said Hedges, “and I think this year, we really have all the pieces to do so. We have shown that we have the talent to do it.”

The USC goes to the regional final on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. the PDT, where he will wait for the winner of the match of 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon between the state of the high-end Oregon and the seeded n ° 4 Saint Mary’s. If the USC was to lose Sunday, a winning match will be played on Monday.