USC baseball stuns North Carolina to take Game 1 of super regional

For much of Friday afternoon’s trojans/baseball/2026/06/05/usc-baseball-north-carolina-game-1-live-updates-analysis--live/90424485007/">super regional battle with North Carolina, things were not going well for the USC baseball team. Ace Mason Edwards lasted just three innings, the Trojans had very little offensive momentum, and they trailed 5-1 on the road against one of the top teams in the country.

Then, Dean Carpentier happened.

With the Trojans trailing by three with two outs in the top of the sixth, Carpentier hit a grand slam that completely flipped the game upside down. Suddenly, a USC team that had felt largely lifeless for five innings was in front 6-5 against the No. 5 team in the country.

Sure enough, it marked the turning point of the game. The Trojans would add on three more insurance runs, and USC’s bullpen held North Carolina scoreless the rest of the game as the Trojans pulled out a stunning 9-5 upset victory.

Suddenly, USC finds itself one win away from Omaha and the College World Series. The Trojans have not been to college baseball’s biggest stage since 2001.

Game 2 of the best-of-three super regional between USC and North Carolina is set for Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time/2:00 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC baseball defeats North Carolina in Game 1 of super regional