RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC San Diego softball defeated Harvard in the final game of the Lance Up Invite in a 4-1 decision.

The Tritons move to 7-17 overall and Harvard moves to 8-6.
 
Tossing her second complete game of the weekend and her fifth one overall, India Caldwell fanned five batters to hold Harvard to a single run in the second inning. The junior transfer gave up five hits and two walks over seven innings of work.
 
At the plate, Lexi O'Gorman went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. Adding their support were Morgan Eng and Mariah Melendez, who both went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a run batted in.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Getting on the board first, UC San Diego went ahead in the bottom of the first inning with a single run. Morgan Eng was walked and then stole second to get into scoring position. She then advanced to third on a fly out. Putting down the bunt successfully, Lexi O'Gorman's suicide squeeze plate Eng making the score 1-0.
 
Harvard responded in the top of the second with a single run.
 
In the bottom of the same inning, Alexa DeMarse was on second with Zoë Richards on first when Mariah Melendez sent a single out to left center. DeMarse scored and Richards advanced to third. Eng then laced a single to left field to score Richards and advance Melendez to second. O'Gorman sent another single to left field to plate Melendez, 4-1.
 
The Tritons threatened again in fifth inning but the score remained 4-1 as India Caldwell and the Triton defense held the Crimson at bay. The right-hander fanned six over 29 batters faced and forced 12 fly outs.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The Tritons went 3-2 at the Lance Up Invite with a sweep of Harvard and splitting with Sacramento State.
• Deena Pederson led the invite with a batting average of .438. The senior had seven hits in 16 at-bats with five runs scored, two batted in, and 3-for-3 on the basepaths.
• Lexi O'Gorman and Hailey Mulligan both batted in five runs over the five games.
• Morgan Eng and Lexi O'Gorman both scored four runs over the invite.
• Morgan Eng stole five bases during the invite and has now stolen 15 bases on the season.

 UP NEXT
The Tritons return to La Jolla after playing eleven road games to host Princeton in a single midweek matchup before opening Big West play at Triton Softball Stadium on Thursday, March 14 against Cal State Bakersfield for a three-game series.

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.