TUCSON, Ariz. -- For the second straight night, ninth-ranked USC put away 22nd-ranked Arizona with a big inning.
Instead of breaking open a 1-1 tie in the late stages like they did on Thursday, the visiting Trojans captured a series win by scoring seven times in the first inning en route to a 13-6 victory Friday night.
A season-high crowd of 4,126 had barely filled into the seats at Hi Corbett Field before USC sent 11 men to the plate in the initial frame. Six of the first Trojans to face starter Robby Medel singled, and the right-hander was lifted when five runs had scored with only one out.
USC (24-6, 6-2 Pac-12) kept its hot-hitting against reliever Nathan Bannister, who, after a strikeout, yielded a pair of run-scoring hits. The final hit was delivered by Bobby Stahel, the Trojans' leadoff hitter who began the game with single off Medel.
Medel (1-3) was charged with six earned runs on six hits. Bannister took over for the next four innings, allowing six runs on nine hits.
Arizona (22-8, 7-4 Pac-12) never drew closer than five runs, which came in the bottom of the third inning. Scott Kingery's leadoff homer was his second in as many games, and later Bobby Dalbec drove in Kevin Newman with a second run.
The Trojans made sure a comeback was out of the question by scoring twice in the fourth and adding three more in fifth for a 12-2 advantage.
The Wildcats bounced back with three in the home half of the sixth, and the clubs traded single runs in the eighth to set the final at 13-6, a margin that was determined in the first inning.
Stahel paced USC's 18-hit effort out of the leadoff spot with four hits and three runs. Reggie Southall turned things over at the bottom of the lineup with three hits, two runs and four RBI.
Kingery headlined the Arizona attack, which collected 13 hits. The junior, who entered the weekend leading the nation in hitting, was 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles, two runs and two RBI. He raised his batting average to .467 with his third five-hit game of the season.
Newman added two hits and three runs batted in, while Dalbec has a pair of hits and a run batted in.
If Arizona had any intentions of rallying throughout the game, it squandered the few opportunities it had. The Wildcats were 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base compared to just seven for USC, which was 9-for-19 in scoring opportunities.
Left-hander Kyle Twomey (5-1) earned the win for the Trojans with a five-inning outing. He scattered seven hits and two runs, before handing the game over to Mason Perryman and Bernardo Flores.
Flores worked the final 3 1/3 innings to earn his first save. He struck out five and gave up one run on three hits.
NOTES: Friday's announced attendance of 4,126 was the largest at Hi Corbett since April 25, 2014 (5,188 vs. Arizona State). ... The 13 runs and 18 base hits allowed by Arizona pitching were both season highs. ... Bobby Dalbec continued his streak of reaching base in every game this season. ... Reliever Morgan Earman pitched two scoreless innings of relief in his first appearance of the season for the Wildcats.
