Following USC’s 7-6 win over Utah to open Pac-12 Tournament play for both squads, the scorer of the game-tying run — Trojans outfielder Austin Overn — recounted what he saw going from 1st to 3rd base on a sacrifice fly.
Overn pulled off this maneuver as part of a three-run 8th inning for the No. 4 seed Trojans versus the No. 7 seed Utes, as USC overcame a late 6-4 deficit. And Overn told the Pac-12 Network after the game that he was just making a heads-up play.
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Ethan Hedges drove a flyball to deep right center field, enabling the runner at third base to tag and score on the catch, and offering Overn enough time to go from first to second. Then, he saw his chance.
“I saw the first baseman just, back completely turned to me, walking really nonchalant,” Overn said. “So I was looking around and no one was even paying attention so I just put my head down and booked it. Then everyone was just kind of cheering, out of nowhere.”
From third, Overn would score the game-tying run before a Brayden Dowd double knocked in the winning run.
Overn explained to the booth further how he loves moments like that to shine and show off the athleticism and cerebral aspect to his game.
“Little bit of a chip on the shoulder mentality through every game, how to play every pitch with energy and trying to find a way to have my athleticism play the play,” Overn said. “But you know, baseball’s a little bit of a slower sport, so finding the little bits of innings for me to show that is really what I look forward to.”
USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz discussed handling Utah’s potent offense
Utah boasts one of the best offenses in the Pac-12 this season, in part because the Utes effectively blend a mix of simple base hits and base running with a dash of power. Naturally, one of the first tasks for USC in its Pac-12 Tournament opener against the Utes was stymying that attack.
But it’s a job easier said than done, according to Trojans head coach Andy Stankiewicz. He jumped on the Pac-12 Network broadcast early in the contest and examined how his team can slow the Utes offense.
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“But this a scary offense because they can run so well,” Stankiewicz said. “They’ve got some big, big whoppers that can drive the baseball as well. But we’ve gotta work at it, I know that.”
The post USC’s Austin Overn rehashes covering 1st to 3rd on sacrifice fly to set up game-tying run vs. Utah appeared first on On3.