Comets rout Mt. SAC 12-5
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mt. San Antonio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
|
Palomar | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | X | 12 | 16 | 2 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (5/2/2026) -- Before No. 16 Mt. San Antonio College could find its footing Saturday afternoon, the game was already slipping away. The No. 1 seed Palomar College Comets erupted for five runs in the first inning and never gave the Mounties a foothold, rolling to a 12-5 victory at Bob Vetter Field before a packed house of 750 fans. Palomar is now one win away from the Super Regional, improving to 36-5 on the season.
The first inning set the tone. Michael Rodda doubled to score the first run, Jacob Loving followed with a two-run single, Rainn McMillan drove in another, and Adrian Macias capped the frame with an RBI double — five runs before Mt. SAC recorded its third out. It was the kind of opening that takes the wind right out of a postseason opponent.
McMillan was the offensive force all afternoon, going 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. Elijah Stephens went 3-for-5 and scored three times, Preston Conklin went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Loving finished 2-for-5 with two RBI. The Comets piled up 16 hits as a team and found ways to score in six of eight innings.
Mt. SAC made it interesting in the fourth, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring five times to cut the deficit to 7-5. Ryan Herrod didn't flinch. The right-hander worked through the jam and finished six innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out five. Herrod improved to 9-1 on the season in one of the biggest starts of the year.
Then Jude Atley took over and the Mounties had no answer. The freshman retired all six batters he faced across the final two innings, striking out every single one of them to close out the win and send the crowd home buzzing. Angel Barron also worked a clean seventh in between, keeping Mt. SAC off the board and handing Atley a fresh slate to finish the job.
Mt. San Antonio fell to 24-18 overall. Andrew Alva homered and drove in two for the Mounties.
The two teams meet again Sunday morning at 11 a.m. in Game 4. A win sends Palomar to the Super Regional next weekend. If the Comets lose, an if-necessary game will follow immediately after to determine who advances.