Washington baseball falls in series opener at USC

The Washington Huskies took a 6-2 loss in the series opener against the USC Trojans in Los Angeles on Friday.

The Washington Huskies were starting to gain some momentum after winning their last three games but couldn’t keep it going in the series opener against the USC Trojans, losing 6-2.

First baseman Jeter Ybarra gave the Huskies the lead in the third inning with an RBI single, but Washington quickly conceded after Carson Wells’ RBI double in the fourth inning.

Second baseman Ryan Jackson provided all the offense USC needed on the day, as he went 4 for 4 with 3 doubles, while also driving in 3 runs and scoring one himself. Washington’s second baseman Aiva Arquette hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to cut the lead to three runs, but an RBI double from shortstop Abbrie Covarrubias in the bottom of the frame to seal the game.

Jared Engman took the loss after allowing 6 hits and 4 earned runs over 4 2/3 innings, moving to 0-6 on the season. Eric Hammond earned his second win of the year, letting up just 4 hits and 1 earned run over 5 innings while striking out 4 batters.

The loss pushes the Huskies, to 9-13-1 on the season and 3-7 in Pac-12 play while the Trojans improved to 13-16 on the year and 7-5 against conference opponents. The two teams will meet again for the second installment of a three-game series on Saturday at 2:00.