Comets keep Eagles grounded with another shutout

SAN MARCOS (4/6/2023) – Pitchers India Caldwell and Guilianna "Gigi" Clavel combined on a one-hit shutout as Palomar College's top-ranked softball team rolled to a 14-0 victory Thursday over Mt. San Jacinto College.  

The Comets kept their record unblemished at 24-0 with the nonconference win at Bradley Park which required just five innings. Caldwell, a sophomore right-hander, started the game and pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Clavel, a freshman right-hander, spun the final three frames and picked up the win to improve her season record to 7-0.   

Clavel allowed just one hit and no walks with four strikeouts as the Comets posted their 14^th shutout of the season.  

"We wanted to see Gigi get in some innings today, and it was nice to see her attack the hitters the way she did," Palomar coach Lacey Craft said of Clavel, who struck out three of the last four batters she faced. "She was moving the ball very well."  

It took just two innings for the Palomar offense to provide enough runs for the mercy-run rule to go into effect. The Comets scored four runs in the first inning and four in the second before expanding their lead with six runs in the third.  

Sophomore second baseman Malachy Russell-Millen provided a two-run triple and sophomore catcher Elias Haas added a two-run single in the first inning for a quick 4-0 Palomar lead. Mt. San Jacinto (9-12) helped the Palomar cause with a pair of second-inning errors, and sophomore first baseman Allyson Amato contributed a run-scoring triple to right field. Sophomore third baseman Aaliyah Rivas added an RBI double, and Russell-Millen picked up her second hit of the game with a run-scoring single.  

Six different batters drove in runs during the third inning, which was capped off by an RBI single up the middle by Clavel. Two pinch-hitters came through in their at-bats during the six-run rally as sophomore Alexis Ruelas singled and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Amato, and freshman Sarah Vega hit a run-scoring groundout to the right side to score freshman right fielder Faith Steffany.  

The Comets collected 12 hits as Amato had a single and a triple in addition to her sacrifice fly. Russell-Millen and Haas each had a triple and a single, and Steffany had two singles.  

"We've had a lot of games off due to the rain, but now we're getting into a long stretch to the finish," Craft said following the game, which had been re-scheduled from Feb. 23 because of inclement weather.    

The Comets will have non-conference road games at No. 5 Mt. San Antonio on Saturday and at Riverside City on April 11 before returning home April 15 for a nonconference doubleheader against Cypress at Bradley Park.