Haywood shutout opens Comets’ new park

SAN MARCOS (4/12/2024) – Nevaeh Haywood pitched a three-hit shutout and Breanna Lutz provided three hits as Palomar College christened its new on-campus softball facility Friday with a 3-0 victory over Southwestern.

The Pacific Coast Athletic Conference win clinched the 10^th consecutive PCAC championship for the Comets, who won their 30^th game of the season. Palomar, now 30-2 overall and 10-0 in PCAC play, has two conference games remaining on the regular-season schedule before the 3C2A playoffs begin.

Prior to Friday's game in the new park, a ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Palomar coach Mark Eldridge, who founded the Palomar softball program in 1978 as the original head coach and is now an assistant on the staff for current head coach Lacey Craft.

"It really hasn't sunk in, yet," Eldridge said as he surveyed the new facility. "When we go on the road, we see a lot of nice facilities, and we get asked when Palomar is going to get one.

"Well, now we have one, and it really looks great. It's something our girls deserve."

The Comets have been playing and practicing the past two seasons at Bradley Park, a San Marcos city facility, while the new stadium was being constructed. Palomar played its first two softball seasons at Grape Day Park in Escondido before moving to an on-campus field prior to the 1980 season.

Haywood, a freshman right-hander out of Ramona High School, improved her season record to 10-0 with her second win in three days. She also pitched four scoreless innings in a 6-3 victory against Grossmont on Wednesday.

Against the Jaguars (21-12, 5-5), Haywood struck out 10 batters while spinning her second shutout of the season and the 17^th for the Comets pitching staff. She retired the first 11 batters she faced, including striking out the side in the second inning. Haywood allowed three singles for Southwestern's only baserunners, and just one runner advanced as far as second base.

Lutz, a freshman first baseman and another Ramona High product, had three hits in her first three plate appearances, including two doubles. She nearly hit the first home run at the new softball stadium in her fourth at-bat, but her deep drive to left field in the sixth inning with the bases loaded was snared at the top of the fence by a leaping catch from Jaguars left fielder Madi Villaescusa.

Palomar, ranked No. 2 in the state, scored its first run in the bottom of the second inning when freshman designated player Isabella de Filippis reached second on a two-base throwing error, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore shortstop Tess Altevers-Harris and scored on a single to left by sophomore right fielder Faith Steffany.

Lutz led off the bottom of the third inning with a double to left, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore center fielder Maddie Scott and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by De Filippis. The Comets added another insurance run in the sixth when Altevers-Harris was hit by a pitch with one out and came around to score following singles by Steffany and freshman catcher Kayla Visser.

Steffany and Visser each had two hits for the Comets, who host a non-conference clash against No. 7 Mt. San Antonio on Saturday at noon.