Posted: May 15, 2025
Comets drop state tourney opener to San Mateo
Palomar
(40-4)
2
San Mateo
(40-3)
4
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
|
San Mateo | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | X | 4 | 7 | 3 |
SARATOGA, CA (5/15/2025) – The Palomar College softball team finds itself in a must-win situation Friday after dropping a 4-2 decision to College of San Mateo during Thursday's first round of the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship.
The Comets will play an 11 a.m. game Friday at San Jose City College against Modesto, which lost its first-round matchup to Orange Coast, 8-6. The winner of that contest will advance to another must-win game later that day at 5 p.m. and the loser will be eliminated.
In Thursday's tournament opener at West Valley College, the Comets loaded the bases with two out in the top of the second inning when freshman catcher Dominique Garcia reached base on an infield error, freshman center fielder Gisele Gonzalez was hit by a pitch and freshman shortstop Nalia Nuanez singled. A diving play on an infield grounder to the right side by sophomore third baseman Breanna Lutz ended the threat.
College of San Mateo, the No. 2 seed from the North Region, got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second on a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt and a run-scoring single to take a 1-0 lead against Palomar starting pitcher Nevaeh Haywood. The Bulldogs added two more runs in the fourth inning on a walk, a double and a single for a 3-0 advantage.
Palomar, the No. 3 seed from the South, was held scoreless until the sixth inning when freshman designated player Lauren Doepping singled with one out. Paige McLeod pinch-ran for Doepping and was safe at second base when a fielder's choice grounder by freshman left fielder Taylor Armstrong was misplayed for an error.
Armstrong was forced out at second base on an infielder grounder by freshman right fielder Alexis Huey, but sophomore pinch-hitter Isabella De Filippis and Gonzalez each followed with RBI singles to narrow the San Mateo lead to 3-2.
The Bulldogs got one run back in the sixth inning off sophomore relief pitcher Maddie Bedolla, converting a one-out walk and two singles into a 4-2 lead which held up as the final margin, improving San Mateo's record to 40-3 while dropping the Comets to 40-4.
Each team had seven hits, and Lutz was the only Palomar batter with multiple hits as she collected two singles. Lutz singled to lead off the seventh inning and a two-out error gave the Comets another baserunner, but a fielder's choice groundout to shortstop ended the game.
Haywood pitched four innings and the sophomore right-hander was dealt just her third loss of the season against 20 wins. She allowed four hits, hit one batter and walked one. Palomar had a 15-game win streak ended by the defeat.
The Comets are appearing in the state tournament for the 24th time in program history. Their most recent of five state championships came in 2015.
College of San Mateo will next face Orange Coast, the top seed from the South which improved to 33-7 with its win over Modesto (28-14-1). The Pirates are making their first appearance in the 3C2A state tournament in 32 years. San Mateo won its first and only state championship in 2022.