San Diego softball defeated Pacific on May 2, powered by a three-run home run from Taylor Johnson in the fifth inning at Bill Simoni Field. The Toreros’ win evened the series at one game each.
The result is significant for San Diego (18-29, 4-10 West Coast Conference), as it broke open a close contest and allowed them to hold off Pacific (17-34, 5-12 West Coast Conference) late in the game.
San Diego took an early lead in the second inning when Shawnese Hogue-Lacy reached base on an error and scored on a Hailey Mulligan double. Janae Combs followed with another RBI double to give the Toreros a 2-0 advantage. Charlie Johnson kept Pacific scoreless through three innings before the Tigers closed the gap with a run in the fourth.
Taylor Johnson’s home run came after Kaitlyn Wynia reached second and Mallory Axline got on base following another error by Pacific. The senior first baseman hit her sixth home run of the season over right field, putting San Diego ahead 5-1. Although Pacific answered with two runs in their half of the fifth, Alex Riggs entered as relief pitcher and threw three scoreless innings to secure the save.
The teams will play again Sunday afternoon to decide the series winner, with first pitch scheduled for noon at Bill Simoni Field.
