No. 5 Comets outlast No. 16 Grossmont in high-scoring battle, take PCAC standings lead at 9-0

LA MESA, CA (3/17/2026) -- It was loud, it was messy, and it went down to the wire. But when it was over, the No. 5 Palomar College Comets had their 19th win of the season, a 21-12 victory over No. 16 Grossmont College Tuesday afternoon that gave them sole possession of first place in the PCAC.

Both teams entered tied atop the conference at 8-0, making it the biggest game of the young season for both programs. The Griffins came in 16-7 overall and proved worthy of their ranking, trading blows with the Comets through eight innings before Palomar broke it open with seven runs in the ninth to seal the win and move to 19-3 overall and 9-0 in the PCAC.

The offense did its part in a big way. Justin Tucker went 3-for-5 with five RBI, including a pair of doubles. Elijah Stephens was 5-for-7 with three doubles. Michael Rodda went 4-for-6 with two home runs and four RBI. Preston Conklin tripled twice and drove in three. Jacob Loving added two RBI, and Gavin Kramer delivered a two-run single in the ninth to cap the scoring. The Comets finished with 22 hits across the lineup.

A nine-run fifth inning was the turning point, but Grossmont answered with six in the eighth to cut Palomar's lead to two and set up a tense finish. That's when Joey Halter came on and stopped the bleeding, retiring the Griffins in order to preserve the lead and hand the lineup one more chance. They made it count.

Dylan Berentis earned the win in relief, improving to 3-0 on the season after working three innings. Jordan Green started on the mound for Palomar.

Grossmont fell to 16-8 overall and 8-1 in the PCAC. Anthony Thomas homered and drove in three for the Griffins.

The two teams will meet again Thursday at 1 p.m. at Bob Vetter Field to wrap up the first round of conference play.