Mounties hand No. 1 Comets first loss, 3-2
| Final (8) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
|
Mt. San Antonio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
WALNUT, CA. (4/8/2023) – For the first time in 26 games, the Palomar College softball team does not have a zero in the loss column.
Mt. San Antonio College scored two runs with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the score and plated the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to pin a 3-2 loss on the Comets, who went into Saturday's nonconference contest as the top-ranked team in the state.
The host Mounties, ranked No. 5 and leaders of the South Coast Conference, handed Palomar (25-1) its first loss of the season while gaining a split of the season series. Saturday's game was originally scheduled to be played March 14 in San Marcos but was rescheduled due to rain and relocated due to field availability. The Comets defeated Mt. SAC, 2-1, on Feb. 25.
Palomar took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when freshman third baseman Itzell De Los Rios singled with one out, took second on a groundout to first base by sophomore shortstop Elisa Haas and scored on a single by sophomore catcher Ellison Hazlett.
The Comets assumed a 2-0 advantage in the top of the seventh, which began with a double to right-center field by De Los Rios. After freshman Carlee Herrmann came in to pinch run for De Los Rios, she was chased home by groundouts by Haas to first and by Hazlett to shortstop.
Palomar pitcher India Caldwell held Mt. SAC (24-5) scoreless on two hits through six innings, but a two-out, two-run home run by the Mounties' Ashley Diaz knotted the score at 2-2 in the seventh. A single and a double with one out in the bottom of the eighth led to the winning run.
Each team had six hits, with De Los Rios and Hazlett having two apiece for the Comets. Caldwell (17-1) finished with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Palomar was scheduled to be on the road again Tuesday at Riverside City for a nonconference game before returning home to face No. 3 Cypress in a nonconference doubleheader on April 15. The first pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Bradley Park.