USC had a more difficult fight than the first two games of its series against Towson, but the Trojans completed the sweep with an 8-6 win Sunday afternoon at Dedeaux Field. An incredible overall performance by Bobby Stahel was the biggest reason why USC was able to win its third game in a row.

The right fielder had three hits in as many at-bats, scored a run, drove in another and made two spectacular plays in the field. Stahel also added two steals, as it seemed like every Trojan made a living on the basepaths today.

"We picked up their signs early in the game. The average time to the plate for their pitchers was about 1.6, 1.7 (seconds), which is pretty slow," said Stahel. "We were able to capitalize on that and take a few bags."

USC (3-0) was able to score in several innings in the first two games against Towson, but relied heavily today on one big one. In a crazy bottom of the fourth inning, USC scored five runs and stole eight bases. Four of the steals were of third base.

In fact, those eight steals were the second-most in a single inning in USC baseball history. The Trojans had 11 steals in all.

That half inning also included four walks, two balks, two errors, two wild pitches and one complete Towson (0-3) meltdown.

The Tigers were up 4-1 after knocking out USC starting pitcher Tyler Gilbert after 2.1 innings. Gilbert, who was making his USC debut, gave up four hits and two walks over that span. He escaped the first inning unscathed after Stahel nailed a Towson runner out at home on a base hit.

The two biggest hits that Gilbert surrendered were also hit Stahel's way, but there wasn't anything he could do about them. Spencer Sutton and Brady Policelli each hit opposite-field home runs to right field, in the second and third innings respectively. Sutton's two-run homer was especially rough, since Towson led off that top of the second with two outs and no one on.

"I didn't think we pitched great today. We walked way too many guys. Tyler was really struggling," said Coach Dan Hubbs. "I think nerves played into it, it was his first Division 1 game. He was overthrowing a bit, and it forced his balls to be up."

But USC finally put it together in that fourth inning.

Dante Flores led off that inning with a double and Blake Lacey followed with a walk. Following a double steal and a balk that allowed Flores to score, Stahel laced a double to left center. Stahel then scored the game-tying run after stealing third and scoring on a fielder's choice.

Corey Dempster, who hit the fielder's choice, scored the go-ahead run after Towson third baseman Chris Ruszin's error on AJ Ramirez's grounder. Ramirez then scored the final run of the inning by stealing second, advancing to third on a balk and scoring on a wild pitch.

Towson scraped together two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game at six. But the Tigers could have put up more, as the inning ended on a double play with the bases loaded. Marc Huberman, who ended up being the winning pitcher in the game, was the guy who got USC out of the jam.

The Trojans answered in the bottom half of the inning after Jeremy Martinez's sacrifice fly plated home Garrett Stubbs, which broke the tie.

With USC clinging to a one-run lead in the top of the seventh, Stahel came up big again. Towson had runners on first and second with one out, Stahel made a diving catch in foul territory. Sutton grounded to second to end the threat.

Star pitcher Kyle Davis came in during the top of the eighth, and immediately showed off his filthy stuff. Timmy Robinson's RBI single was a big insurance run, which was more than enough for Davis. Davis struck out four of the six batters that he faced, including striking out the side in the ninth.

The sweep was the perfect start for USC's season, and having to battle back for the final win was a good sign. Coach Hubbs learned a decent amount about his team over the past three days, but there's still room for improvement.

"I think we're more athletic than we have been. That showed today with the number of stolen bases," said Hubbs. "We still have to get better with the little things. I think on the mound, we just need to learn to finish hitters a little better."

USC's next game is on the road on Tuesday against Cal State Fullerton before taking on Kentucky on Thursday night at Dedeaux.