After a delay of more than 1,400 hours, USC beat Cal State Fullerton,
11-2, in a game started on Feb. 20 and completed Wednesday night at Goodwin
Field.
Fullerton dropped to 26-11 on the season with the Trojans improving to
24-10.
In one of the best pitching match-ups in the country, Ian Kennedy (6-1)
came out on top of this one beating Ricky Romero (7-4), even if it took
51 days to do it.
Kennedy, surrendered two early runs on solo homers by Sergio Pedroza and
Danny Dorn, but shut out Fullerton in his final six innings of work. He
stuck out 10 Titans allowing only six hits on 118 pitches.
Romero, kept the game in control for six innings allowing just two hits
while striking out six. The two walks he allowed in the fifth inning came
back to haunt him as Hector Estrella doubled to right to bring home both
runners putting USC ahead 3-2.
The Trojans broke it wide open against the Titans and Romero in the seventh
scoring four times, capped by a three-run home run by Estrella to give
the Trojans a 7-2 lead. Romero was lifted for Lauren Gagnier who closed
out the innings with a strikeout of Cyle Hankerd, but not before the damage
was done.
The rain that had been falling for four straight innings became too much
and play was suspended in the top of the eighth with one out and nobody
on for USC.
When Play resumed Wednesday, freshman Jeff Soulages came on in relief
of Gagnier and was greeted with a leadoff double by Baron Frost, who later
came around to score on an error by Brett Pill. In the ninth, The Trojans
added three more on a three-run homer by Hankerd extending the USC lead
to 11-2.
The two teams are set to complete their make-up
game schedule with another game slated to start at approximately 6:20
p.m.
