SAN DIEGO – Delaney Heller pitched a gem and San Diego earned its first victory of the season in dramatic fashion against Portland State to cap the opening day of the 2019 season at the USD Tournament.
 
The Toreros (1-1) split a pair of games on the day and saved their best for last. After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the fifth inning against the Vikings (0-2), USD manufactured a run in the bottom half of the inning to cut the deficit in half.
 
An RBI-double by Lindsay Clare in the bottom of the sixth knotted the game at 2-2.
 
Madison Casiano led off the bottom of the seventh with a double over the center fielder's head and came home for the winning run on an RBI-single up the middle by freshman Rion Simms. It was Simms' first collegiate hit.
 
Heller kept the Toreros within striking distance throughout the game, turning in an outstanding performance in her first start of the season. She pitched a complete game and allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Of her 82 pitches, 55 were strikes.
 
It was a quality bounce-back effort after USD had been defeated in the game earlier by Marshall (2-0), 10-1. The Toreros fell behind early with The Herd racking up six runs in the first two innings and could not overcome the early deficit.
 
Taylor Spence led USD offensively on the day, going 3-for-6 with a walk. Casiano and Savannah Shields both finished the day 2-for-6 and contributed at least one run. Both of Casiano's hits were doubles.
 
The Toreros will look to continue its momentum Saturday when they play host to Portland State and UC Riverside.