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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -– Ricky Oropesa homered to center field leading off the ninth inning, snapping a 4-4 tie and sparking Southern California to a 9-4 victory over Cal Poly in the rubber game of a season-opening three-game non-conference baseball series Sunday afternoon before 1,049 in Baggett Stadium.

The Trojans (2-1) added four more runs in the ninth, three of them unearned, to take the series, two games to one. USC won Friday’s game 9-4 and the Mustangs (1-2) captured Saturday’s contest 10-6.

USC was held to just two runs and five hits in the first seven innings and trailed Cal Poly 3-2 heading into the eighth frame.

Designated hitter Cade Kreuter belted a two-run home run off Mustang starter Kyle Anderson in the eighth, giving the Trojans a 4-3 lead.

Cal Poly answered with a run in the bottom of the eighth on sophomore catcher Elliot Stewart’s two-out RBI single to center field, tying the game at 4-4.

Oropesa’s home run, his first of the season and 14th of his USC career, snapped the tie in the top of the ninth and the Trojans added four more runs on two walks, one hit batsman, two singles and a Mustang throwing error with the bases loaded.

Shuhei Fujiya (1-0) secured the final four outs for the win. Starter Kevin Couture allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out three.

Anderson, in his first weekend start for Cal Poly – he started four midweek games as a freshman a year ago – gave up four runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings. The sophomore southpaw walked one and struck out five.

USC outhit Cal Poly 11-9, led by center fielder Joe De Pinto with three singles and one RBI. Left fielder Mike O’Neill and second baseman Matt Hart each added two hits for the Trojans.

Senior catcher Ross Brayton (pictured above) and freshman first baseman Evan Busby each had two hits and one RBI for Cal Poly. All nine Mustang hits were singles.

Cal Poly scored twice in the first inning for a 2-1 lead. Second baseman Matt Jensen’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1 and Brayton singled to left field to give the Mustangs the advantage.

USC tied the game in the third when Matthew Foat hit into a double play, but Cal Poly regained the lead in the fourth on Busby’s RBI single through the right side of the Trojan infield.

Brayton led all Cal Poly hitters in the series, going 7-for-13 (.538), all singles, with six RBI. Outfielder Luke Yoder was 5-for-12 (.417) with a double, triple and home run while Busby went 4-for-10 (.400) with three RBI.

Cal Poly plays its next eight games on the road, starting with a single game Tuesday at Pepperdine, starting at 1:30 p.m.

The Mustangs play a three-game series at San Francisco next weekend and will play four games in the Coca-Cola Classic at Surprise, Ariz., on March 4-7 before returning home to host Northern Illinois for two games and Houston for three contests on the second week of March.