SAN DIEGO — San Diego softball (4-4, 0-0 WCC) dropped Friday's first game of a double header in a tough back and forth 8-6 loss to Southern Utah (3-6, 0-0 WAC) at Reggie Smith Softball Complex.

After a scoreless top half of the first, with the first two Toreros reaching on an error and a walk, Michelle Delgado placed down a perfect bunt that allowed cleanup hitter Taylor Johnson to plate in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly.

The Thunderbirds responded with a sac-fly of their own after working the bases loaded with a couple of singles and a walk. They took the lead after a fake bunt caused a wild pitch and gave Southern Utah the lead 2-1.

Southern Utah continued tacking on baserunners, after putting up another run and having the bases loaded again with one out in the fourth, junior pitcher Kaitlyn Bartlow came in relief and used her middle infield for a popout then a fielder's choice to get out of the jam.

Despite giving up three runs in the top half of the fifth inning, the heart of the USD lineup responded after getting a runner on base via a throwing error and Johnson hitting a line drive homerun to gap in left-center to cut the lead in half to 6-3.

Down but not out in the sixth, the Toreros had a quick rally working after a line drive single and an infield hit from outfielder Carly Ruiz — who had made an impressive diving catch in the top of the fifth to strand runners. With runners on the corners, a chopper that resulted in a double play drove in the runner from third to shorten the deficit to 8-4.

Following three up, three down in the top half of the seventh, Johnson started the inning off with a line drive single past the pitcher. A pair of late USD substitutions saw the pinch runner take second on a wild pitch in an at-bat where the pinch hitter Emily Taylor worked a walk to put two runners on with no outs to continue the rally. Centerfielder Kaylee Oh introduced the new Thunderbird pitcher into the game with a single that got just past the diving shortstop driving in a run to make it 8-5. An RBI groundout made it 8-5, but the Toreros were ultimately not able to complete the comeback as another groundout ended the last try for San Diego.

NOTABLE

• The Toreros tested the Thunderbird's defense for a total of five errors, especially the middle infield, which made three separate errors in just the first four innings.
• After leading the team in RBIs in 2025, Johnson plated three runners, going 2-4 with three RBIs, increasing her RBI total to a team-leading seven.