Comets ground Griffins; claim 18th PCAC title

EL CAJON, CA (4/15/2023) -- Palomar College claimed their 18th Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship on Saturday afternoon after defeating rival Grossmont College 14-6 in the series finale. The Comets completed the sweep of the Griffins after taking the first two games of the series 11-10 and 7-3. 

On Saturday the Comets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. The Griffins got one run back in their half inning, but a two-run lead to them wasn't going to cut it. Sophomore outfielders Caden Szuba and Quincy Scott recorded an RBI on a single and sac fly, respectively. Carter Hain tacked on two more with a shot to right center to extend their lead. Scott then had a two-run shot of his own to centerfield in the fourth inning to make it 9-1. The Comets seemed to have put the Griffins away for good at that point, but after a 3-run home run by them in the bottom of the eighth, the Comets wanted a bigger run deficit. 

Enter Jack Sanders. 

With runners on first and second, Sanders hit his 11th blast of the season to leftfield to make it 14-6 and give closer Mike Villani a comfortable lead. 

The defense behind Villani in the ninth sealed the deal for the Comets as they secured the conference title with six games left to play. 

Ace Kyle Carr was the starting pitcher and was solid through five innings, striking out eight batters, and collecting his 10th win of the season. 

Palomar claimed their ninth back-to-back title in program history. The Comets, 25-8/19-0, will gear up for a 3-game set against San Diego Mesa College next week. The first two games will be played down at Mesa on Tuesday and Thursday with start times of 2 p.m. They will back at home on Saturday for a 1 p.m. first pitch.