Their bats had come alive plenty over the last week.
Nineteen runs against Lamar. Fifteen against Texas State. A combined 21 during back-to-back victories over Texas A&M.
Never had the USC Trojans’ offense faced a challenge like this.
Going quietly through the first five innings, their team trailing by four runs against an opponent that had not lost a game this season while holding a multi-run lead, it appeared as if the magic ride might end against North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.
Then came a sixth inning that topped anything that had come before it.
Nine players stepped to the plate. Six reached base.
And with one swing, Dean Carpentier etched his name into USC baseball lore.
Carpentier’s grand slam sparked the Trojans’ offense during a 9-5 come-from-behind victory over the Tar Heels in a Super Regional on Friday in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The decisive inning started with three consecutive singles off North Carolina starter Ryan Lynch, including Kevin Takeuchi’s run-scoring bloop single that fell inside the left-field line.
Lynch retired the next two batters before the Tar Heels turned to hard-throwing reliever Walker McDuffie, who walked Andrew Lamb on a full count to load the bases.
That brought up Carpentier, who hammered an 0-and-1 slider onto the roof of a building beyond the left-field wall to give the Trojans (48-16) a 6-5 lead. They added three runs in the seventh to put themselves one victory away from their first College World Series appearance since 2001.
By scoring the game’s final eight runs, USC wiped away a rare clunker of a start by ace Mason Edwards. In his shortest outing of the season, the left-hander gave up four runs in three innings before the bullpen allowed just one run over the final six innings.
What it means
In its first Super Regional appearance since 2005, USC provided a reminder of the postseason power of the most decorated program in college baseball history.
The Trojans have won a record 12 College World Series titles and are now on the verge of their 22nd appearance in the event.
Turning point
Entering the sixth inning, USC’s vaunted postseason offense had gone limp.
Managing just one run on Andrew Lamb’s solo homer leading off the third inning, the Trojans were getting manhandled by Lynch.
It looked like more of the same when Adrian Lopez fell behind 0-and-2 in the count. After taking two balls, Lopez ripped a single to center. Augie Lopez (no relation) followed with a single to right before Takeuchi’s RBI single brought home a run to start the Trojans’ five-run rally capped by Carpentier’s grand slam.
MVP: Dean Carpentier
Not exactly known for his power, Carpentier blasted a no-doubt grand slam that gave the No. 8 hitter only his fourth homer of the season and his first career grand slam.
Did you see that?
The crowd at Boshamer Stadium included former North Carolina men’s basketball coach Roy Williams and new coach Michael Malone.
Up next
These teams will meet again in Game 2 at 11 a.m. PT Saturday. The game will be broadcast by ESPN.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
