SAN DIEGO – Delaney Heller and Madison Earnshaw pitched a pair of gems to power San Diego to two one-run victories against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon at the USD Softball Complex.
 
The Toreros (13-15) opened the day with a 1-0 walk-off win and finished the day with a 2-1 victory.
 
Heller (7-6) got the start in the first game and limited the Gauchos (6-23) to no runs, three hits and no walks with four strikeouts in 7.0 innings. It was her team-leading sixth complete game and second shutout of the season.
 
Earnshaw (5-6) followed with a complete game gem of her own in the following game. She limited UCSB to one run on three hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
 
Four of the Toreros (13-15) past five games have been one-run victories and three of those wins have been walk-offs.
 
Lindsay Clare provided the walk-off win in the first game on the day after the Toreros loaded the bases with two outs. She hit a grounder that UCSB's third baseman was unable to handle, allowing a run to score. It was the fifth error committed by the Gauchos in the contest.
 
The Toreros got on the scoreboard early in the second game. Shelbi Evans hit an RBI-double to right center field in the bottom of the first to bring in Taylor Spence from second and give USD an early 1-0 lead.
 
Sophia Bjerk doubled the Toreros lead in the bottom of the third with a bases-loaded walk.
 
UCSB got a run back in the top of the sixth inning when Tyler Goldstein reached on an error as a run scored. That was all the Gauchos would manage on the day and Earnshaw kept UCSB off the board the remainder of the way to seal the decision.
 
The Toreros conclude their three-game series against UCSB on Sunday at noon PT.