Posted: May 16, 2025
Comets win twice to keep state hopes alive
West Valley
(42-5)
0
Palomar
(42-4)
9
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
West Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
|
Palomar | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
SARATOGA, CA (5/16/2025) – Freshman designated player Lauren Doepping slugged a three-run, walk-off home run to cap off a 9-0 victory for Palomar College over West Valley College in Friday's elimination game at the California Community College Athletic Association State Softball Championship.
Sophomore pitcher Nevaeh Haywood shut out the No. 1 seed from the North Region over six innings, ending the season for the state tournament's host team. Palomar's win over the Vikings followed an earlier 3-1 victory over Modesto for the Comets, who remained alive in the tournament with success in the pair of must-win scenarios.
While improving to 42-4 on the season, Palomar advanced to the third day of the state tourney, where the Comets will play a 3 p.m. game Saturday against El Camino. The Warriors survived a 10-8 shootout against Orange Coast in another elimination game Friday night. The winner of the Palomar-El Camino game will play again at 6 p.m. against the loser of Saturday's winner's bracket game between College of San Mateo and Yuba.
The championship game is set for Sunday at 12 noon, with an if-necessary game to follow as needed.
Doepping's home run was the second of the day for the Comets, who scored the decisive runs against Modesto on a two-run homer by sophomore third baseman Breanna Lutz.
Seeded No. 3 from the South Region, Palomar jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against the Vikings when freshman right fielder Alexis Huey cleared the bases with a three-run double to left-center field with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. An error on an infield grounder by Lutz, an infield single by sophomore first baseman Zoe Karam and a walk to sophomore catcher Isabella De Filippis preceded Huey's double on an 0-2 pitch.
The Comets expanded their lead to 5-0 in the second inning on a two-run triple to right by Karam following a leadoff single by freshman center fielder Gisele Gonzalez and an infield error on a grounder by freshman shortstop Nalia Nuanez.
Palomar padded its lead to 6-0 in the third when Huey singled up the middle with one out, advanced on a groundout and scored on a single to center by Gonzalez.
Lutz doubled to center field to start the sixth inning, and after Karam drew a one-out walk, Doepping deposited her eighth home run of the season over the left-field fence to end the season for West Valley with its fifth loss against 42 wins. The Vikings had dropped a 4-3 decision to Yuba earlier Friday after opening the tournament with a 4-3 win over El Camino on Thursday.
Haywood earned her 22nd victory of the season by spacing five hits with no walks and two strikeouts over six innings. The shutout was the 22nd of the season for the Palomar pitching staff.
In the early game on Friday, with both teams facing a must-win situation at San Jose City College, it was Palomar which prevailed to end Modesto's season at 28-15-1.
Lutz was 3-for-4 at the plate, including a two-run home run in the second inning which provided the Comets with a 3-1 lead they never surrendered.
Modesto scored first in the top of the first inning when a single, a stolen base and a double led to a 1-0 lead. Palomar responded and tied the score in the bottom of the first when Lutz led off with an infield single to the left side, advanced to second base on a single to right field by sophomore second baseman Josephine Heuberger and scored on a two-out single to right by De Filippis.
A leadoff double to right-center field by Huey started the second inning for the Comets, and two outs later Lutz delivered a two-run shot over the fence in left-center field for her 10th home run of the season.
Neither team scored the rest of the way, and Haywood and Maddie Bedolla combined to keep the Pirates scoreless on three hits over the final six innings. Haywood pitched the first four innings and the right-hander picked up the win to improve to 21-3. Bedolla took over in the circle in the fifth inning and pitched out of a jam in the sixth when Modesto loaded the bases with no outs on a double, a single and a walk.
A lineout to Heuberger at second, a flyout to Lauren Stehly in left and a strikeout by Bedolla kept the Pirates at bay without scoring. The sophomore left-hander retired the side in order in the seventh to preserve the win and earn her first save of the season.
Heuberger and De Filippis each had two hits for the Comets, who out-hit the Pirates, 9-5.