Posted: Apr 15, 2025
Comets soar past Imperial Valley
Imperial Valley
(10-21, 6-6)
0
Palomar
(31-3, 12-0)
20
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Imperial Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
|
Palomar | 12 | 5 | 3 | 0 | X | 20 | 17 | 0 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (4/15/2025) – Thirteen different players accounted for at least one hit as Palomar College took another step closer toward repeating as Pacific Coast Athletic Conference softball champions with a 20-0 romp Tuesday over Imperial Valley College.
The No. 2-ranked Comets remained unbeaten in conference play, improving to 12-0 with three PCAC games left on the schedule. Palomar lifted its overall mark to 31-3 while dropping Imperial Valley to 10-21 overall and 6-6 in conference play.
Batting around in the bottom of the first inning, the Comets sent 16 batters to the plate in the opening frame and scored 12 runs on 10 hits and a pair of IVC errors. Sophomore third baseman Breanna Lutz led off the inning with a double to center field, and she added another double later in the inning to drive in a run.
Sophomore second baseman Josephine Hueberger also had two hits in the first inning, including a single and a two-run triple to right field. Another big hit during the early rally was a two-run triple to left by sophomore catcher Kayla Visser.
Freshman right fielder Samantha Garcia also had two hits and drove in four runs for Palomar. Garcia had two RBIs in the first inning on an infield grounder and a single, she walked and scored in the second, and she capped her day at the plate with a two-run double to center in the third inning.
Freshman shortstop Nalia Nuanez singled twice, walked and scored three runs for the winners, who finished with 17 hits.
Benefitting from the offense was pitcher Kiara Flaviani, who made her first start of the season in the circle. The freshman right-hander blanked the Desert Warriors on three hits over the first three innings, escaping a bases-loaded situation in the third when IVC failed to score despite three singles in the inning. Flaviani earned her first win as a Comet with one hit batter, one walk and five strikeouts, including fanning the side in the second inning.
Freshman right-hander Hailey White polished off Palomar's 16th shutout of the season by pitching two scoreless innings in relief of Flaviani. White allowed one hit with one strikeout.
The win over IVC was the first of five games in five days for the Comets, who have two more consecutive PCAC games April 16 at Grossmont and April 17 at home against San Diego City before hosting a non-conference doubleheader against College of the Canyons on April 19.
The regular season ends April 22 for the Comets with a home game against Grossmont.