USC baseballs ninth-inning implosion costs trip to College World Series

Two outs.Two measly outs.That was all the most decorated program in the history of college baseball needed to get back to what once felt like its second home.At that point, everything was tilting heavily USC’s way in its bid to make its first College World Series appearance since 2001.The Trojans held a one-run lead over North Carolina and the bases were empty in the ninth inning of the decisive game of their NCAA Tournament Super Regional, with the ball in the capable hand of closer Adam Troy.Nothing else went their way.There was a walk on a full count.

A pitching change on a 3-and-0 count.A single that put runners on the corners.

A run-scoring sacrifice fly to tie the score.A walk.The implosion was complete once Tar Heels center fielder Owen Hull crushed Chase Herrell’s final pitch for a two-out, run-scoring walk-off double just out of the reach of center fielder Kevin Takeuchi, completing USC’s crushing 4-3 loss on Sunday in Chapel Hill, N.C.The Trojans’ College World Series drought now stands at 26 years.The bullpen meltdown wasted 7 ⅔ superb innings from USC starter Andrew Johnson, who held the Tar Heels to two hits and two runs only two days after he had pitched 3 ⅔ innings of scoreless relief in the opener of the series.USC (48-18) also received an infusion of power from Takeuchi and Andrew Lamb, whose solo homers had given the Trojans a 3-1 lead.After North Carolina (50-12-1) tied the score in the third inning on Hull’s two-out, run-scoring double, the Trojans surged back into the lead on Takeuchi’s homer to left on a hanging slider in the fourth inning.An inning later, Lamb crushed another hanging slider over the right field fence to extend USC’s advantage to 3-1.Those swings were just what the Trojans needed against North Carolina starter Caden Glauber, the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year who was otherwise dominant with 11 strikeouts in 7 ⅓ innings.But the early and middle innings were relegated to a footnote by the hi...