Palomar Baseball Tops San Diego Mesa 7-6 to Force Super Regional Best-of-Three Series

SAN MARCOS, CA (5/8/2025) -- In a thrilling and hard-fought contest, No. 3 seed Palomar College defeated No. 15 seed San Diego Mesa College 7-6 in a nail-biting game two of the 2025 3C2A Southern California Super Regionals. The win secured Palomar's spot in the next round, where they will face No. 6 seed Riverside City College tomorrow in a best-of-three series.

This was the sixth time these two teams had faced one another this season, with Palomar finishing the regular season with a dominant 4-1 record against Mesa. Despite a late push from the Olympians, the Comets held their ground and ultimately ended Mesa's season in the double-elimination tournament.

Game 2 of the super regional was an intense back-and-forth battle. Palomar struck first, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, thanks to a pair of early runs driven in by Braedon Peterson-Cheek and Drake Cobb. Mesa responded in the third with a run of their own but Palomar answered right back, scoring three more in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 5-1. The Comets added another run in the fifth and kept Mesa at bay despite their offensive surge, with Carter Jorissen and TK Madera contributing key hits to the scoring efforts.

Mesa made things interesting in the later innings, scoring three in the seventh and two more in the eighth, but Joey Navarro (W, 6-1) kept his composure, pitching through the heart of the Olympians' rally. Michael Getzinger came in for the save, closing out the game with two innings of relief.

With the win, Palomar now moves on to face Riverside City College tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. in a best-of-three series to determine who advances to the state championship. The first game of the series will see Riverside, who defeated Mesa earlier in the day, face off against the Comets in a pivotal matchup.

Game Stats:

Palomar 7, San Diego Mesa 6

• Braedon Peterson-Cheek: 2 hits, 2 RBIs

• Drake Cobb: 3 hits, 3 RBIs

• TK Madera: 2 hits, 1 RBI

• Carter Jorissen: 2 hits, 1 RBI

• Joey Navarro (W, 6-1): 7.0 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 6 K

• Michael Getzinger (Sv, 1): 2.0 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 K

San Diego Mesa:

• Gavin Gamino: 2 hits, 2 RBIs

• Frank Giacalone: 1 hit, 2 RBIs

• Payson Lee (L, 0-1): 5.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 K

Upcoming Schedule:

• Game 1: Palomar vs. Riverside City College – May 9 at 12:00 p.m.

• Game 2: Palomar vs. Riverside City College – Time TBD

• Game 3 (if necessary): Palomar vs. Riverside City College – Time TBD

Palomar is poised for another competitive round as they aim to keep their momentum going and make a push toward the state championship.