Comets blank Knights, wrap up unbeaten PCAC season
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 1 |
|
San Diego City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
SAN DIEGO (4/23/2024) – Palomar College capped off its second consecutive unbeaten Pacific Coast Athletic Conference softball campaign with an 11-0 romp Tuesday at San Diego City College, extending a lengthy conference win streak in the process.
The Comets, ranked No. 5 in the state, concluded conference play with a 12-0 record for the second straight season, securing Palomar's 10th consecutive PCAC championship. The Comets improved to 34-3 overall with their victory over the Knights, which was Palomar's 26th straight conference game without a defeat dating back to a 4-2 loss at Southwestern on April 15, 2022.
Palomar took a 5-0 lead through five innings before pulling away from their hosts with a six-run sixth inning to bring on the mercy-run rule. San Diego City concluded its season at 2-10 in conference play and 12-23 overall.
Eight different batters provided at least one of Palomar's 13 hits. Sophomore third baseman Itzell De Los Rios drove in four runs with a third-inning double, a fifth-inning sacrifice fly and a sixth-inning two-run single.
Freshman catcher Kayla Visser put the Comets on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning with a two-run double and later singled and scored in the sixth. Freshman first baseman Breanna Lutz hit a leadoff double in the third and scored on a two-out double by De Los Rios, and Lutz added an RBI single in the sixth.
Freshman second baseman Josephine Heuberger had a double and a single and drove in two runs, and sophomore center fielder Maddie Scott added two singles. The Knights also aided the Palomar cause by committing five errors.
Benefitting from the offensive output was freshman right-hander Nevaeh Haywood, who kept her record unblemished by pitching six scoreless innings for her third shutout of the season. Haywood spaced three singles while walking two, hitting two batters and striking out five for her 12th win without a loss and Palomar's 19th shutout of the season.
The Comets close out the regular season by hosting back-to-back non-conference rain make-up games on Wednesday against No. 1 Fullerton at 2:30 p.m. and Thursday against No. 18 Cerritos at 2 p.m.
Palomar will host an opening-round series when the 3C2A playoffs begin May 3 with the Southern California Regionals. The eight-team state tournament is scheduled for May 16-19 at West Valley College in Sarasota.