Torero throws no-hitter

USD softball pitcher Madison Earnshaw throws first Torero no-hitter since 2016

Chris Spiering / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

In a historic afternoon for the Toreros, USD sophomore pitcher Madison Earnshaw tossed seven hitless-innings in route to the Toreros’ 3-0 victory against Long Island University (LIU). The right hander earned her first win of the season as USD advanced to 3-5 on the season. 

San Diego started the Saturday afternoon playing Utah State as a part of a doubleheader in the Golden State Classic Tournament in Lake Elsinore. The Toreros were on the wrong side of dominant pitching in game one, as Aggies starting pitcher Kapri Toone threw a no-hitter in their 8-0 shutout. USD couldn’t advance a runner past first base and the Aggies closed out the game in the fifth inning. 

History was in the making for game two though, as the Toreros battled against the LIU Sharks. The game remained scoreless through the sixth inning as both teams’ pitchers brought their A-game. USD left runners on base in the third and fourth inning but couldn’t get them home. 

San Diego took the lead in the seventh as junior pitcher Halle Kyler executed a perfect bunt to score first-year catcher Elisa Princic, making the score 1-0. Later in the inning, first-year outfielder Savannah Alarcon knocked in two more runs with a single up the middle, making the score 3-0. 

Alarcon went 1-3 at the plate and had two RBIs in the game. Kyler finished the day going 2-3 and got the scoring started for the Toreros. 

The story of the game was the Toreros’ starting pitcher. Earnshaw came back out in the bottom of the seventh inning to close out the game for USD. She forced three straight ground ball outs to close out the game and earned her first career no-hitter — the first for the Toreros since 2016. 

Earnshaw explained how she prepared to put her name in the record books. 

“When I came out to throw, I wasn’t really thinking anything,” Earnshaw said. “I was focusing on hitting my spots and letting my defense work.” 

Earnshaw struck out two batters and walked only one. In the 22 batters she faced, she forced 12 groundouts and six fly outs in only 76 pitches. 

Head Coach Jessica Pistole was thrilled about Earnshaw’s no-hit performance, but also mentioned that she just was doing her job.

“She didn’t do anything crazy,” Pistole said. “She kept things simple and she pounded her strengths, and was able to trust her defense behind her. It was just her being her. I don’t think she even knew she was throwing a no-hitter until it happened.”  

Because of her dominant performance, she was awarded the WCC Player of the Week honor. She describes what it meant to her. 

“It’s super cool,” Earnshaw said. “Every week it’s something I strive for and it was a cool thing to earn. It was really special and I couldn’t have done it without my defense.” 

The Toreros hosted a double-header against Idaho State University, Monday, Feb 17. USD won the first game 4-0 and won the second game as well by a score of 8-3. 

Senior pitcher Delany Heller dominated in game one by throwing seven shutout innings while only giving up two hits. The right-hander struck out four batters and walked five on her stellar performance. 

Offensively, sophomore DH Lauren Hendrickson went 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Senior second baseman Sara Silveyra finished the game going 1-3 with an RBI and Kyler went 1-3 with two RBIs. 

The Toreros got off to a fast start in game two as they scored seven runs in the first inning to secure a firm lead. Senior catcher Madison Casiano got the hitting started for USD as she singled up the middle, followed by a walk and bloop single to load the bases. Junior Haley Hensley was up next and after she hit a ball over the fence that went just foul, she drew a walk on the following pitch — sending Casiano home, making the score 1-0. 

Sophomore infielder Kelli Kufta backed up Hensley with a bloop RBI single to left that seemed to get away from the Bengals’ left fielder adding to the lead, 2-0. The game escalated when sophomore third baseman Sophia Bjerk drilled a liner to left, knocking in three runs as she trotted into third base. The score was 5-0 with still zero outs in the bottom half of the first inning. 

USD would tally two more runs in the first inning with an RBI groundout by Kyler and an RBI double by Casiano who was thrown out trying to stretch out a triple. The score was 7-0 as most of the fans were still arriving for the game. 

Before even registering an out, Bengals’ starting pitcher Mailee Newman was replaced by Kiara Grover. Grover would go on to throw the next six innings for Idaho State, giving up just two runs. 

San Diego would tally one more run in the bottom of the second, as Kufta knocked in her second RBI of the game with a single to center, scoring Silveyra. The Toreros were off to their biggest lead of the season, with a pleasant 8-0 advantage. Earnshaw was on the mound again for this game and she had a comfortable seven-run lead right away. 

It was another trouble-free start to the game for the sophomore, as she retired six of her first eight batters giving up only one hit. The Bengals’ offense started to click though, as they would tag on a run in the third, fourth, and fifth inning — closing the gap to 8-3. 

It was smooth sailing to close out the game for the Toreros as Earnshaw was replaced in the fifth inning by Kyler, who came in from right field. Kyler closed out the game going 2.2 innings and gave up only two hits and struck out one. 

USD improved to 5-5 on the season after the back-to-back home opener victories against Idaho State. Over the past five seasons, San Diego holds a winning record at the USD Softball Complex at 59-45.

After 10 games so far in the season, Coach Pistole likes what she sees from her team. 

“They are bought in to what we are doing,” Pistole said. “It’s fun to see us get a little better every time we come out here. We are getting better every game, with the goal of getting better every practice. It’s fun to see these little victories and work one day at a time.”

The Toreros are back in action on Friday, Feb. 21 as they’ll open up play in the Mary Nutter Classic with games against Arizona State and the U.S. Olympic Team. 

The next home game for the Toreros is another double-header against the University of Utah on Feb. 24 at noon and 2 p.m.