Feb. 28, 2009

Box Score

Los Angeles, Calif. - (From USC Sports Information) - Junior Robert Stock went 1-for-4 with two RBI, including the game-winning run, and threw 2.1 scoreless innings to earn the save Saturday as the USC Trojans evened its nonconference series with a 6-4 win over the Western Carolina Catamounts. Stock gave the Trojans (3-3) the lead in the third with an RBI groundout and added an RBI single in the fifth.

Junior right-hander Kevin Couture earned the win for the Trojans after allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings. WCU (4-1) took its first loss of the season after starter Chris Masters gave up six runs on six innings in six innings.

The Catamounts took a 2-0 lead in the first after junior Nick Liles led off the game with a double to left center. He advanced to third on a fly ball from sophomore Matt Johns and scored on junior Brent Greer's groundout. WCU senior J.C. Lyons then legged out his second triple of the season, lacing the ball to left center and scored on a double by freshman Ross Heffley double.

Joe De Pinto put the Trojans on top in the second with his first collegiate home run with a three-run blast to left. Western Carolina responded with two in the top of the third with Lyons scoring on a passed ball and Heffley making it a 4-3 game on Tyler Kirkpatrick's RBI double.

Hector Rabago was hit by a Masters pitch in the top of the third, followed by a double from Grant Green. Stock's single scored Rabago and Green would later score on a Masters' wild pitch for the 5-4 advantage. With the bases loaded in the seventh for Western Carolina and two outs, Stock went to the mound and struck out Stephen Notaro to preserve the lead. He would strike out Notaro again in the ninth for the final out of the game.

The series concludes tomorrow at 1:00 pm PT / 4:00 pm ET and the game will be broadcast by a live video webcast on usctrojans.com, courtesy of TrojanTV All-Access.