Trojans Fall to Penn State, 2-1, Despite Aoki's Gem

Thursday, May 22

Omaha, Neb.

11:00 AM PT

USC

34-21

Penn State

33-22

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Penn State	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	9	2
USC	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0

B1G Tournament Info

Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann

Trojans Fall to Penn State, 2-1, Despite Aoki's Gem

May 22, 2025 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

OMAHA, Neb. – The USC baseball team fell in pool play at the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday afternoon, dropping a 2-1 decision to Penn State.

Caden Aoki was brilliant on the mound, but USC couldn't find the big hit it needed as the Nittany Lions won it with a home run in the ninth. The Trojans fall to 34-21 on the season while Penn State Improves to 32-22. The Nittany Lions also took down Washington on Wednesday as they advance out of Pool D with two wins.

The teams traded runs early, with the Nittany Lions scoring in the first and USC answering with a run in the second thanks to an infield single by Brayden Dowd.

The 1-1 tie lasted until the ninth when Nate Voss hit a solo home run to put Penn State ahead.

Aoki threw 7.0 innings on Thursday, giving up just the one first-inning run. He scattered six hits and walked two batters while striking out seven.

USC had seven hits in the game but left 12 runners on base.

TOP PERFORMERS

Caden Aoki: 7.0 IP, 6H, R, 2BB, 7K
Brayden Dowd: 2-for-5, RBI, 2B

COMING UP
USC faces Washington on Friday at 8 a.m. PT/10 a.m. CT in its final game of pool play. All games at the Big Ten Tournament will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.