Comets declaw Jags in first round
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southwestern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
|
Palomar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 9 | 1 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (3/16/2024) -- Palomar College swept Southwestern College in the first round of PCAC play Thursday (9-0) and Saturday (6-1) to advance to 8-0 in conference play.
On Thursday, the Comets took advantage of five Jaguar errors in the nine innings of play. They scored two runs in the top of the first to launch their balanced scoring attack and added another in the fourth and sixth before scoring two more in the seventh and three in the eighth. Anthony Pacino and Ryan Rivera both had two RBI while Luke Matthews, Noah Lazuka, Makana Olaso, Colby Rafail and Ian Halverson each had one. Eric Van Valkenburg (4-1) pitched 5.0 innings, followed by Nathaniel Helton, Noah Waldeck and Nick Crystal in an inning of relief each. The staff combined for the second shutout this season behind eight strikeouts. Helton and Waldeck struck out the side and Van Valkenburg had two Ks on the day. Solid pitching also helps when you have solid defense behind you. The Comets turned three double plays to make it 23 on the season, third-best in the state.
The Comets get the scoring party rolling on Saturday afternoon. Wearing their green St. Patrick's Day uniforms, the Comets scored six unanswered runs to complete the series opening sweep. Palomar scored five runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Olaso, a two-run double by Rivera and a two-run shot by Elijah Cook to put the Comets up 6-1. Ryan Herrod was given the green light on Saturday where he pitched seven innings and allowed one run on six hits and struck out five. Evan Langer came in to close out the game and pitched two solid innings where he didn't allow a hit and struck out two.
Palomar advances to 14-7 overall and 8-0 in conference play. They will resume PCAC competition with a home and home with San Diego City College on Tuesday. Palomar will be on the road Tuesday and be home on Thursday. Both games scheduled for 2 p.m.