ivran romero at wcc tournament - credit kyle terada/wcc
Kyle Terada
5
Portland POR 36-18
7
Winner San Diego USD 39-13
Portland POR
36-18
5
Final
7
San Diego USD
39-13
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Portland POR 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 5 12 2
San Diego USD 0 1 0 4 2 0 0 0 X 7 8 1

W: Randall, Josh (4-2) L: GASTON, CARTER (11-2) S: Romero, Ivran (3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Xander Brayfield '27 | Media Relations Intern

Romero Pitches USD into WCC Tournament Final

One-seed USD defeats No. 2 seed Pilots 7-5 on Friday evening to secure championship matchup

LAS VEGAS — After winning its second round matchup against No. 4 Gonzaga yesterday, the No. 1 seeded Toreros (39-13, 21-4 WCC) continued their West Coast Conference tournament run on Friday evening by securing a hard-fought victory over No. 2 Portland (36-18, 19-5 WCC) at Las Vegas Ballpark, defeating the Pilots by a 7-5 margin to secure a spot in Saturday's championship game, still without a loss in the double elimination tournament. 

Unrelenting fourth and fifth innings from the San Diego batting order that saw base hits from Dustin Allen, Will Worthington, and Austin Smith drive in six of USD's seven total runs proved to be vital in Friday evening's victory, as the Toreros would not score again through the games final three innings. 

A pair of dynamic pitching performances from starter Josh Randall and Ivran Romero highlighted the strong postseason win for USD, as the two combined to limit the high-powered Portland bats to just five earned runs while striking out nine batters, and walking just three. 

With the win, San Diego will now head into Saturday's championship matchup firmly in the driver's seat without a tournament loss, meaning just one win in a possible two games played will secure it the title of WCC Tournament Champions. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Justin DeCriscio got USD on the board in the bottom of the second inning by blasting a solo shot to left field to give San Diego a one-run advantage. 
  • The Pilots responded in the top of the third inning with a two-RBI single up the middle to take a 2-1 lead. 
  • RBI singles from Allen, Worthington, and Smith allowed the Toreros to plate four runs in the bottom of the third inning to retake the lead at 5-2. 
  • An error in the top of the fourth inning allowed Portland to take one run back, making it 5-3 in favor of USD.
  • A sacrifice fly from Allen, and an RBI double from Worthington added two more runs for San Diego in the bottom of the fifth. 
  • The Pilots added a pair of runs in the top of the seventh and eighth innings to cut the USD lead to two at 7-5, but got no closer. 
ON THE MOUND
  • Randall got the start on the mound for USD in its second WCC tournament matchup, and turned in six strong innings, surrendering four earned runs, while striking out four and walking two.
  • He then made way for Romero out of the bullpen who finished the game on the hill with three masterful innings, allowing just one earned run, while striking out five and walking just one to earn the save and secure the victory for the Toreros on the mound. 
TORERO TIDBITS
  • Randall earned the win on the mound in Friday evenings matchup, moving his record in 2024 to 4-2. 
  • San Diego recorded its ninth straight victory as well as its 17th win in its last 18 games. 
  • Allen and Worthington — the eight and nine hitters in the San Diego batting order — combined for four of their team's six total RBIs on Friday evening. 
  • DeCriscio was 2-for-3 from the plate on Friday, with two runs scored, and an RBI. 
  • His second-inning moonshot is his third of the 2024 season, and his first since homering in back-to-back games on April 23 and 26. 
  • Romero earned his third save on the hill for USD on Friday evening.  
UP NEXT
USD now heads to the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament in a rematch against No. 2 Portland at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday at Las Vegas Ballpark. 

With a win, the Toreros would clinch their second WCC Tournament title since 2022.
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