Clavel wins 20th, Comets earn split at Cypress

CYPRESS, CA. (4/6/2024) – The Palomar College softball team went into Saturday's doubleheader at Cypress College with 20-20 vision, and the Comets showed in Game 1 that they continue to have a keen eye.

With a 4-0 triumph in the opener of the nonconference twinbill, the No. 2-ranked Comets claimed their 20^th consecutive win and sophomore pitcher Gulianna "Gigi" Clavel notched her 20^th win of the season.

With a 3-1 victory in Game 2, the No. 4 Chargers ended the state's longest win streak and salvaged a split in a rematch of two teams which met in the 3C2A state championship finals last year. Saturday's results left Palomar at 28-2 for the season and Cypress at 23-6.

The Comets took a quick lead in Game 1 by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning after two outs were recorded. A two-out single up the middle by freshman first baseman Breanna Lutz was followed by a double to left-center field by sophomore third baseman Itzell De Los Rios, and the bases became loaded when freshman designated player Isabella De Filippis was hit by a pitch.

Sophomore shortstop Tess Altevers-Harris then drove in two runs with a single to left-center, providing the visitors with an early 2-0 advantage.

Palomar padded its lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings. Lutz and De Los Rios connected again for a run in the third, which began with Lutz being hit by a pitch. After stealing second base, Lutz came around to score on a single to left-center by De Los Rios.

A fourth-inning leadoff single to left by sophomore center fielder Maddie Scott preceded a two-out run-scoring triple to the right-field fence by freshman second baseman Josephine Heuberger for a four-run Comets lead. The three-bagger was the team-leading eighth triple of the season for Heuberger.

Two batters reached base for Cypress in the bottom of the seventh inning on a leadoff single and a hit batter with one out, but Clavel struck out the final two batters she faced to preserve her ninth shutout of the season. The right-hander finished the three-hitter with two walks and five strikeouts.

The win was just the third time in 13 games that the Comets were extended to seven innings following a slew of mercy run-rule victories, but the Chargers turned the table in Game 2 when three first-inning runs were enough to hand Palomar just its second loss of the season.

Cypress scored in only one inning of the doubleheader, but the three runs scored after two were out in the bottom of the opening frame carried the defending state champs to their seventh win in nine games since being swept in a three-game Orange Empire Conference series against Fullerton, currently the state's top-ranked team.

Clavel started Game 2 and allowed three runs on four hits in the first inning, leading to just her second loss of the season against the 20 wins. Freshman Nevaeh Haywood relieved with one out in the third inning and pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits with one walk and one strikeout.

The Comets avoided being shut out for the first time the season by scoring in the top of the sixth inning, which began with an infield single by De Los Rios. Pinch-runner Sara Vega advanced to second when a ground ball up the middle by De Filippis was misplayed for an error. A single to left by Clavel scored Vega, but a flyout and a groundout prevented any additional Palomar scoring.

The Comets went down in order in the seventh inning and absorbed the loss despite out-hitting the Chargers, 8-6. De Los Rios and Altevers-Harris each hit a double and a single, and Heuberger added a pair of singles.

Palomar swept a regular-season home doubleheader from Cypress last season, but when the two teams met again in the state finals at Mt. San Antonio College, it was the Chargers taking two games from the Comets to claim their 10^th state crown while denying Palomar a sixth state title.

Prior to the doubleheader at Cypress, the Comets were scheduled to host No. 7 Mt. San Antonio on Friday for a non-conference clash at Bradley Park, but the game was rained out and rescheduled for April 13 starting at noon. Prior to that matchup of top-10 teams, the Comets have Pacific Coast Athletic Conference games at Grossmont on April 10 at 3 p.m. and at home against Southwestern on April 12 at 1 p.m.