SAN DIEGO – San Diego snapped a five-game losing streak in emphatic fashion, defeating Southern Utah in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Toreros (4-9) dominated the first game to claim a 12-1 win in five innings and rallied for a 4-2 comeback victory in the second game.
 
USD hit .478 as a team over the two games and held the Thunderbirds (1-6) to a .195 team batting average. The Toreros produced a .696 team slugging percentage.
 
Lindsay Clare led the way with a 4-for-5 (.800) performance in the two games with one RBI, one walk and one run. Kelli Kufta hit .667 (4-for-6) with two doubles, a triple and two RBIs. Taylor Spence (.600), Sara Silveyra (.500) and Sophia Bjerk (.500) also hit .500 or better on the day.
 
USD got complete game performances by Delaney Heller and Madison Earnshaw in the circle. Heller started the first game and held SUU to one run on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Earnshaw followed by permitting two runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.
 
The Toreros got off to a hot start in game one, scoring two runs in the first inning and rallying for six runs in the second to take a commanding 8-1 lead. 
 
An RBI-triple by Kufta in the bottom of the third inning extended the Toreros lead to 9-1. USD opened the bottom of the fourth with an RBI-double by Kelly Clanton, an RBI-triple by Bella Vick and a sacrifice fly by Silveyra to extend its lead to 12-1.
 
Heller retired the side in order in the top of the fifth to seal the victory.
 
SUU opened the second game with its first two batters producing a run for an early 1-0 lead. The Thunderbirds held the lead through the fifth inning and doubled its lead to 2-0 with another run in the top of the sixth.
 
The Toreros had been knocking on the door offensively all game, leaving runners on base in each of the first five innings. USD broke through in the sixth, rallying for four runs to take a 4-2 lead.
 
Earnshaw allowed a one-out single but retired the next two batters to seal the USD victory.
 
The Toreros conclude the three-game series on Sunday at noon PT.