SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (Interstat) — Chase Herrell and three relievers combined on a five-hit shutout Thursday as Southern California remained undefeated with a 4-0 victory over Cal Poly at Robin Baggett Stadium.

Herrell, the Trojans’ top star, dominated over five innings, allowing no hits and striking out five. He walked one batter and faced just one over the minimum, backed by an inning-ending double play in the first. The performance was a sharp rebound for the right-hander, who had allowed four earned runs over his last 3 2/3 innings across two relief appearances.

The Mustangs managed only five singles and never advanced a runner past second base. They went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine men.

Southern California improved to 8-0, while Cal Poly fell to .500 at 4-4.

The Trojans manufactured their first run without a hit in the third inning. With runners at the corners, a wild pitch by Cal Poly starter Corden Pettey allowed Diego Tejeda to score. Abbrie Covarrubias, who had singled, then came home on a sacrifice fly by Antonio Lopez.

Covarrubias was central to extending the lead in the fifth. After tripling to deep center off reliever Chris Downs, he scored on another wild pitch to make it 3-0.

Kevin Takeuchi provided the final margin in the seventh, driving a triple to center field to plate courtesy runner Ryan Cadena, who was on base after being hit by a pitch.

Pettey took the loss for Cal Poly despite a strong outing. He worked four innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out seven. Downs surrendered two runs on two hits over three innings of relief.

Following Herrell, the Trojans’ bullpen was flawless. Gavin Lauridsen, Sax Matson and Adam Troy combined for four hitless innings, allowing only three walks and a hit batter while striking out four to seal the combined shutout.

The most critical sequence came in the bottom of the seventh inning, with USC leading 4-0. Cal Poly loaded the bases with two outs on a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk against Lauridsen and Matson. Matson then entered and struck out leadoff hitter Tanner Vachini swinging to extinguish the Mustangs’ best and only serious scoring threat of the game.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a higher-scoring affair with Southern California winning 8-5, and its ELO system gave the Trojans a 52% probability to win.

Southern California continues its four-game series at Cal Poly on Friday. The Mustangs host Pepperdine next Tuesday.