SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Diego softball (16-22, 3-5 WCC) rallied to take an early five-run lead but couldn't hold off Santa Clara (21-19, 6-2 WCC) in the nightcap, falling by an 8-5 margin and dropping the doubleheader and middle game of the West Coast Conference series. 

The Toreros broke through in the third, stringing together back-to-back two-out RBI hits — Kaitlyn Wynia singled to center, Taylor Johnson was hit by a pitch, and Kaylee Oh delivered an RBI single to score Johnson, before Abrielle Diaz followed with an RBI single to right to make it 2-0. 

San Diego added three more in the fourth with two outs again proving productive — Johnson singled, Wynia walked, and both scored when a Santa Clara throwing error and a Shawnese Hogue-Lacy two-run double to center pushed the lead to 5-0. But Santa Clara answered with three in the bottom of the fourth to pull within two, then added two in the fifth and three more in the sixth to take the lead for good. Kaitlyn Bartlow started and Charlie Johnson followed in relief for San Diego.

The Toreros will be back in action tomorrow for the series finale against the Broncos, with first pitch at the Santa Clara Softball Stadium set for 1:00 p.m.