Posted: Mar 04, 2025
Palomar stifles SD Mesa, 8-0
San Diego Mesa
(9-10, 1-1)
0
Palomar
(12-2, 2-0)
8
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
San Diego Mesa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|
Palomar | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (3/4/2025) – Making an early statement in its second conference game of the season, the Palomar College softball team scored three runs in each of the first two innings Tuesday and went on to dispatch San Diego Mesa, 8-0, in five innings.
A two-run single to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning by sophomore third baseman Breanna Lutz was the final blow which led to the mercy-run rule and the Comets' eighth straight win. Palomar, ranked No. 5 in the latest California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, improved to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference. Mesa, which began the season with six consecutive wins, fell to 9-10 and 1-1 with the loss.
Lutz was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the first inning, and sophomore second baseman Josephine Heuberger followed with a walk. A double to center by freshman first baseman Zoe Karam scored Lutz, and after sophomore catcher Isabella De Filippis was hit by a pitch, freshman left fielder Taylor Armstrong delivered a run-scoring groundout which was misplayed at third base for an error.
An infield single by freshman right fielder Samantha Garcia scored Karam and gave Palomar a 3-0 lead before the Olympians could record an out. The Comets left the bases loaded in the first, but they picked up where they left off by scoring three more runs in the second inning.
Singles by Lutz and Karam preceded a two-out, two-run double to right-center by Armstrong, and Garcia followed with her second RBI single of the game to left, providing the hosts with a 6-0 cushion.
Held scoreless over the next two frames, the Comets ended the game in the fifth, which began with singles by freshman pinch-hitter Lauren Doepping and freshman center fielder Gisele Gonzalez before Lutz delivered her game winner with one out.
Sophomore left-hander Maddie Bedolla pitched four scoreless innings to improve her record to 7-0. The only time Mesa had a runner reach second base came in the top of the second inning when Bedolla walked the first two batters. A fly out to right field resulted in a 9-5 double play when Garcia threw to Lutz at third to retire the lead baserunner attempting to advance.
The next batter reached on an infield single up the middle, but that was the only hit of the game for the Olympians as Bedolla struck out the next batter for one of her five strikeouts. With four shutout innings, Bedolla extended her streak of scoreless innings to 23. Sophomore right-hander Nevaeh Haywood pitched a scoreless fifth inning with two strikeouts to preserve the Comets' seventh shutout of the season.
Palomar was scheduled to visit Imperial Valley on March 6 for a PCAC contest, but that game has been rescheduled for March 25 as part of a doubleheader at IVC. For their next game, the Comets will host defending state champion Fullerton for a nonconference encounter March 8 at 1 p.m.