PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – UC San Diego softball fell to No. 21 South Carolina in five innings after the Gamecocks scored 11 runs in the fourth inning to finish the game at 18-1. The Tritons avoided the shutout when Morgan Eng stole her way to third and scored on an error.
 
Three Tritons pitched in tonight's game with India Caldwell putting in 3.1 innings of work allowing seven runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Shelby Thompson went to work for 1.2 innings giving up eight runs on eight hits with a walk and strikeout. Claire Adams came in to face five batters giving up three runs on one hit with four walks.
 
On a hit-by-pitch, Morgan Eng scored from first after stealing second and third. On a bad catch at third, Eng made it home on the error to avoid the shutout. Lexi O'Gorman, Zoë Richards, and Lily Hermosillo were the three Tritons who earned a hit. Six runs were left on base over the five innings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
South Carolina got on the board early for a five-run lead before the third inning.
 
Shelby Thompson created some momentum in the third when she went three up, three down with a groundout, fly out, and strikeout. Her offense responded in the bottom of the inning when Morgan Eng turned a hit by pitch into a run. The junior stole second, then third, and on an overthrow to third, Eng stole home to score.
 

Morgan steals second ?? third ?? HOME
?? https://t.co/xF2dxCqZWL#VamosTritones ?? | @FloSoftball pic.twitter.com/qlJ0qewIY4

— UC San Diego Softball (@UCSDsoftball) February 18, 2024

 
The Gamecocks responded with an 11-run inning in the top of the fourth to break open the game for 16-1 lead.  UC San Diego threatened again and left two more baserunners stranded.
 
In the fifth, South Carolina added two more runs to their score in the top half. The Tritons went down in order to end the game early at five innings.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• South Carolina now leads the series 1-0 over UC San Diego.
• Lexi O'Gorman continues her five-game hitting streak.
• Morgan Eng is 5-for-5 on the base paths so far this season and is second in the Big West.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will wrap the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 9 a.m. PT vs. No. 16 Utah.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.