SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Rutgers softball team is leaving the West Coast after securing a series victory over San Diego on Saturday afternoon with a 5-3 win over the Toreros.

Bailey Briggs delivered a two-run double in her first career hit helping Rutgers to a three-run top of the seventh in the victory. Mattie Boyd, meanwhile, earned her first save sending down the final two Torero batters swinging with runners on first and second.

The win upped RU's overall record to 17-11 on the season going 2-1 against San Diego and 5-4 during its spring break West Coast trip.

Rutgers 5, San Diego 3

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Morgan Smith tossed 6.1 innings allowing two earned runs on five hits with a strikeout to improve to 6-4 inside the circle. Smith was also 3-for-3 with a run scored.
• Payton Lincavage collected two RBIs sending in RU's first two runs of the game.
• Bailey Briggs had her second career at-bat and collected two RBIs on a double and scored the third run of RU's three-run seventh inning.
• Kyleigh Sand, Leilani Chavez and Maddie Lawson also posted runs in the victory.

THE RUNDOWN

• It was RU out in front in the top of the first. Payton Lincavage collected her first RBI of the game on a sac fly to center. Kyleigh Sand kicked off the game with a walk, advanced on a sac bunt from LA Matthews and reached third on a single up the middle by Morgan Smith before coming home on Lincavage's fly-out.
• San Diego evened the score in the bottom half. Back-to-back infield miscues allowed the Toreros to round the bases for a run.
• Rutgers took back the lead in the fourth. Smith led off with a triple to right-center and scored off Lincavage's base hit to right.
• The Toreros, however, knotted the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Jennings led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and managed to reach third on a sac bunt from Delgado. Limon followed with an RBI single up the middle to tie up the game.
• The Scarlet Knights plated three runs in the seventh to once again regain the lead. Maddie Lawson and Leilani Chavez got themselves into scoring position setting up Bailey Briggs to knock them in on a double to left-center. RU then loaded the bases for Katie Wingert to earn an RBI on a walk.
• San Diego narrowed the gap with a run and had runners on the corners with one out. A Johnson double down the left field line had Rutgers holding on to a 5-3 edge, but Mattie Boyd came to the circle to send down the next Toreros swinging for the save. 

UP NEXT

• Rutgers softball has one more nonconference road game ahead before opening the 2024 home slate. The Scarlet Knights travel to Charlottesville, Virginia for a meeting with UVA on Tuesday, March 16 at 5 p.m. and open a three-game Big Ten series with Ohio State at the Rutgers Softball Complex on March 22-24. Admission is all Rutgers home games is free.

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