Posted: Apr 04, 2025
Comets return to winning ways again
LA Mission
(11-19)
1
Palomar
(27-3)
10
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
LA Mission | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
|
Palomar | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | X | 10 | 7 | 1 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (4/4/2025) – The Palomar College softball team bounced back from its first loss in seven weeks by winning two games Friday during a nonconference three-way with El Camino and Los Angeles Mission.
The Comets, ranked No. 1 in the most recent California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association state poll, defeated No. 9 El Camino, 9-1, in six innings before the mercy-run rule came into effect again in a 10-1, five-inning triumph over L.A. Mission.
The two victories established the start of a new win streak after Palomar's 21-game unbeaten stretch was ended earlier in the week by No. 4 Orange Coast. The Comets improved to 27-3 overall with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Sophomore first baseman Zoe Karam highlighted the Game 1 win over El Camino when she broke a scoreless tie with a two-run home run to center field in the bottom of the fourth inning. Karam's state-leading ninth home run of the season scored sophomore third baseman Breanna Lutz, who led off the inning with a single to center after Palomar went down in order in the first three frames.
An infield error and a hit batter kept the fourth inning alive for the Comets, who added three more runs on a two-run triple to left-center field by freshman left fielder Taylor Armstrong and an RBI single to left by freshman center fielder Gisele Gonzalez.
Singles by Karam and freshman designated player Lauren Doepping in the fifth inning preceded a two-out, two-run double by Armstrong, who found the same gap in left-center field to expand the Palomar lead to 7-1.
Palomar's sophomore left-hander, Maddie Bedolla, pitched five scoreless innings to start the game, limiting El Camino to a pair of singles, but Warriors finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth with a leadoff single and a one-out double.
Now requiring two more runs to end the game early, the Comets came through with three consecutive hits to start the bottom of the sixth. Gonzalez and freshman pinch-hitter Samantha Garcia each singled to put two baserunners aboard for Lutz, who sharply singled to right to score Gonzalez. When the throw from the outfield to the plate skipped away for an error, sophomore pinch-runner Lauren Stehly came around to score the game-ending run and hand the Warriors just their fifth loss against 23 wins.
Palomar finished with 10 hits, including two apiece by Karam, Lutz, Armstrong and Gonzalez.
Bedolla finished with a four-hitter over six innings, improving her record to 14-1. She had three walks, one hit batter and four strikeouts.
Following a 4-1 victory for El Camino over L.A. Mission in the middle game of the three-way, sophomore right-hander Nevaeh Haywood took the circle for the Comets in Game 3 and was one out away from a four-hit shutout against L.A. Mission before a solo home run with two out in the fifth inning allowed the Eagles to avoid being blanked.
Haywood finished off the win to improve to 13-2. She had no walks with four strikeouts while helping to drop L.A. Mission's record to 11-19 on the season.
Palomar took advantage of eight walks, seven hits and a costly Mission error which allowed two runs to score after Garcia led off the fourth inning with a double to right-center field. Prior to then, Palomar had built an 8-0 lead through three innings beginning with a first-inning leadoff home run to right field by Lutz for her eighth homer of the season.
The Comets added five runs in the second inning, the big hit being a two-out, two-run triple to left-center field by freshman right fielder Alexis Huey to give the hosts a 6-0 lead. Armstrong coaxed her second of three walks in the game to start the third, and singles by Gonzalez and freshman shortstop Nalia Nuanez along with a sacrifice fly to center by Lutz led to two more Palomar runs.
Gonzalez had two hits for the second straight game, finishing 4-for-5 at the plate for the day with three runs scored.
Palomar returns to Pacific Coast Athletic Conference action April 8 with a road game at Southwestern before returning home April 10 for a 3 p.m. contest against San Diego Mesa. With a 9-0 record in conference play, the Comets have a 2½-game lead over Mesa in the PCAC standings.