LONG BEACH, Calif. (Interstat) — Caleb Anderson delivered a dominant performance on the mound, and Kaiden Smaka drove in three runs as Long Beach State defeated Southern California 5-3 in a nonconference baseball game Tuesday night at Blair Field.

The victory marked a significant turnaround for the Dirtbags (12-23), who had lost eight of their last nine games, and for Anderson personally. The right-hander, coming off two difficult starts where he allowed 13 earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, was nearly untouchable. He pitched six strong innings, allowing just one hit and no earned runs while striking out nine Trojans batters.

Southern California (30-8), ranked among the nation’s leaders and projected as a heavy favorite by statistical models, was stifled for most of the night by Anderson and relievers Jaxon Baker and Tyler Gebb. The Trojans managed only five hits total.

The most important sequence of the game came early, as Long Beach State immediately answered Southern California’s initial advantage. The Trojans had taken a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning without a hit, capitalizing on a combination of walks, a hit batter, and a costly error by Dirtbags center fielder Toomey that cleared the bases.

Anderson settled in to escape further damage with a strikeout, and his offense promptly responded in the bottom half of the inning against USC starter Chase Herrell. Jake Evans and Toomey singled, setting the stage for Smaka. The designated hitter laced a two-run double to left field, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and shifting momentum.

Long Beach State completed the comeback in the fourth inning. After singles by Perez and Montgomery and a sacrifice bunt, Garren Rizzo relieved Herrell. Enright tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left, and Evans followed with an RBI single to center, giving the Dirtbags a 4-3 lead. Smaka added a critical insurance run in the seventh, driving in Evans with a groundout after Evans reached on an error.

USC’s bullpen trio of Rizzo, Ben Cushnie, and Sax Matson combined for 5 1/3 innings of hitless, scoreless relief, striking out seven, but the Trojans’ offense could not solve Anderson. The Trojans finally broke through against the Long Beach State bullpen in the eighth when Augie Lopez launched a two-run homer off Gebb, scoring Cadena, who had singled. The blast pulled USC within 5-3, but Gebb retired the next batter and Baker worked a scoreless ninth to secure the win.

Evans led the Dirtbags’ eight-hit attack, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored. For the Trojans, Lopez’s home run accounted for his only hit and both of his RBIs.

The result avenged a 6-1 loss to Southern California in Long Beach on March 10. The Dirtbags next host San Diego State on Wednesday. The Trojans begin a three-game series at Nebraska on Friday.