SAN DIEGO – UC San Diego softball falls to University of San Diego in five innings after the rain ends the game early at 8-5.
 
The Tritons drop to 4-15 and USD improves to 6-15.
 
In the circle, India Caldwell got the start allowing two earned runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.0 innings of work. Shelby Thompson came on as relief and allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout tallied.
 
At the plate, six Tritons tallied a hit with four batting a run in. Zoë Richards went 1-for-2 with a run scored and a run batted in. Morgan Eng added her support going 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. Hitting in the ninth spot, Mariah Melendez batted in her first run of the season after winning an eight pitch at-bat.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons landed on the board first with a lone run in the rainy first inning. Back in the leadoff spot, Morgan Eng laced a single past the shortstop to reach first. She proceeded to steal her tenth base of the season to get into scoring position. Lexi O'Gorman advanced Eng to third on a groundout. Eng then scored on a sac fly from Deena Pederson.
 
The Toreros responded in the bottom of the second inning on two outs with five runs after two errors extended the inning.
 
In the fourth, Teagan Dobson started a two-out rally for the gold and blue when she won the at-bat with a walk. Brooklyn Lee then punched a single past the shortstop to reach and advance Dobson. Alexa DeMarse powered a long single out to right center to bring Dobson home and get Lee to third. Zoë Richards laced another single past the shortstop to plate Lee from third and get DeMarse to second. Mariah Melendez then tallied her first RBI of the season to plate DeMarse. Forcing a pitching change, the Toreros changed their pitcher hoping to end the inning. Back at the top of the order, Eng was walked and then O'Gorman sent a hot hit past third to advance the runners to second and third, and plate Richards to tie the score at 5-5.
 
USD responded in the bottom of the inning with two runs to take the lead back, 7-5.
 
As the rain increased, the Tritons threatened in the fifth but left a runner on. In the bottom of the inning, USD scored a run before a rain delay was called, 8-5. The weather did not improve and the game was called early.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Lexi O'Gorman went 1-for-3 with a run batted in and extends her hitting streak to five games.
• Hailey Mulligan extends her hitting streak to four games.
• Mariah Melendez tallied her first RBI of the season in today's game.
• The Tritons last game without an error was on Feb. 10 in the season opener vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.
• This was the fifth meeting of the two teams and USD leads the series at 1-4.

UP NEXT
The Tritons head north to the Lance Up Invitational hosted by California Baptist in Riverside. The invite begins on Friday, March 7 against Sacramento State at 10 a.m. Live stats will be available on ucsdtritons.com.
 
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.