Pepperdine completes the campaign with an overall record of 42-18. USC freshman third baseman Michael Moon hit a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Trojans to a dramatic 4-3 win over Pepperdine before a sold-out, standing-room- only Dedeaux Field record 2,376 fans on Saturday afternoon.

Moon slapped a 1-2 pitch from Pepperdine starter Noah Lowry over the 10 fence with pinch runner Michael Morales on first base and no outs.

USC trailed 3-1 going into the ninth, but Josh Persell doubled to left-center to open the inning and scored on an RBI single by Bill Peavey. Morales then ran for Peavey to set up Moon's heroics, his fifth home run of the season.

"I don't remember a win quite as dramatic as this, given the momentum shift and what was on the line," said USC head coach Mike Gillespie. "We're thrilled with the win. Pepperdine was really good and Lowry was really special. It was a heart-shattering loss for them. But there's no clock in baseball. Being two runs down in the ninth is reachable. We got a big hit, got another big hit and got the biggest hit and the win."

"It was a curve ball and I hung it," said Lowry "It happens. Moon did a good job hitting a mistake."

Said Pepperdine head coach Frank Sanchez: "Well, that's the nature of college athletics. There's always a ton of excitement because anything can happen. Both teams played courageously and intensely. Lowry did a great job."

Until that time, Lowry had handcuffed USC in a match-up featuring two of college baseball's top pitchers. Lowry, who entered the game with a 14-1 record and a 1.51 ERA, is a second team All-American and the West Coast Conference "Pitcher of the Year." USC's Mark Prior, Collegiate Baseball magazine's national "Player of the Year", was 13- 1 with a 1.49 ERA coming in.

Lowry had given up only three hits to USC going into the ninth and finished with five strikeouts and just two walks.

Prior struck out 14 and walked none in eight innings of work, but gave up two runs and a season-high total of 11 hits. He was replaced going into the ninth by Jordon Olson, who got the victory to up his mark to 2-1.

scored first in the game, getting a run in the bottom of the third. Seth Davidson and Brian Barre singled with no outs, then Alberto Concepcion moved them up on a sacrifice bunt. Davidson scored when Anthony Lunetta hit a slow-rolling groundout to shortstop.

It looked like the run might be enough for the Trojans until Pepperdine countered with a run in the seventh. Dane Ball hit a one- out, opposite field double and, one out later, Rock Mills scored him with an opposite field bloop single.

Then, the Waves took the lead in the eighth when Woody Cliffords singled into shallow center, stole second and scored on Jared Pitney's opposite field single. Pepperdine added a run in the ninth off of Olson when Tony Garcia's two-out, opposite field single scored Mills, who had gotten on with a single.

The game featured a number of outstanding fielding plays. Trojan right fielder Abel Montanez threw out a pair of Waves at home, getting Ball in the second and Mills in the seventh, to end both innings. In the sixth, Davidson went deep in the hole to get a force out at second base. In the seventh, Pepperdine rightfielder Ball and centerfielder Cliffords collided violently going for a fly ball, but Ball held on for the out. In the ninth, USC first baseman Peavey charged a Cliffords' drag bunt and threw out Chris Kelly at the plate.

Mills and Tony Garcia led Pepperdine with three hits each, while both of Ball's hits were doubles.

It was USC's first win in 13 tries in 2001 when it trailed after 8 innings. Forced to play an elimination game just one hour after the crushing setback to USC, the Waves fell behind early to Fresno State and could never catch up as the Bulldogs prevailed by a final score of 8-6.

Fresno State advances to Sunday's championship game against USC beginning at noon. The Bulldogs need to defeat the Trojans twice in order to advance to next weekend's NCAA Super Regional.

Pepperdine took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by Jared Pitney to start the second inning, but Fresno State tallied three runs in the bottom half of the frame to take the lead for good.

The Waves scrambled in the late innings, but Fresno State plated two runs in both the sixth and eighth innings to main a comfortable margin.

Pitney completed his collegiate career with four hits against Fresno State, while Danny Garcia and Tony Garcia each contributed two hits for the Waves. Dane Ball, Chris Kelly and Ed Montague also connected on two hits for Pepperdine.