Posted: Feb 20, 2026
Comets power up to down Eagles, 15-3
Mt. San Jacinto
(7-8)
3
Palomar
(9-0)
15
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mt. San Jacinto | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
|
Palomar | 5 | 0 | 8 | 2 | X | 15 | 15 | 1 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (2/20/2026) – For the first two innings of Friday's softball game, Palomar College found itself in a tight battle with Mt. San Jacinto College.
Then came the third inning.
Leading by two runs going into the third, the Comets sent 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of inning, scoring eight runs on eight hits en route to a 15-3 romp over the Eagles.
The nonconference contest was originally scheduled to be hosted by Mt. San Jacinto, but unplayable field conditions in Menifee forced a switch of playing sites. The Comets, ranked No. 2 in the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association state poll, improved to 9-0 on the season with their ninth run-rule victory in as many games.
Mt. San Jacinto, playing its sixth game in eight days, scored two unearned runs in the top of the first inning on a leadoff walk, two singles and an infield error, but the Comets countered with a home-run barrage in the bottom of the first inning to overcome the 2-0 deficit.
Sophomore first baseman Alexis Huey led off the Comets' half of the opening frame with a home run to left-center field for her fifth round-tripper of the season. Two outs later, sophomore designated player Lauren Doepping tied the score with a solo home run to right-center field.
The homer was Doepping's third in three consecutive at-bats dating back to the Comets' previous game on Wednesday against Grossmont, when the right-handed power hitter slugged two home runs against the Griffins. Doepping leads the team with seven home runs.
Not to be out-done, freshman second baseman Kristina Deal added to the power surge when she followed an infield error by the Eagles and a run-scoring single by sophomore left fielder Taylor Armstrong with a two-out, two-run home run to left field. Deal's second homer of the season gave Palomar a 5-2 lead after one inning of play.
The visitors scored another run in the top of the second on two singles, a hit batter and a bases-loaded walk to close the deficit to 5-3, but the hosts countered with their eight-run third inning to pull away. Doepping ignited the rally with a one-out single up the middle, and the next five Palomar batters also reached base with hits, including a two-run double down the left-field line by Deal.
Doepping capped the outburst with a bases-loaded single off the top of the fence in center field, clearing the bases for a 13-3 Comets lead. Sophomore Grace McNally and freshman Ava Alvarez each provided a pinch-hit single during the third-inning rally.
Palomar added two more runs in the fourth inning, loading the bases with two outs on an infield error, a single by Huey and a walk before freshman right fielder Kailey Dain closed the scoring with a two-run single to right-center field.
Doepping and Deal both finished with three hits, while Huey and Armstrong each had two hits as the Comets collected 15 hits in the victory. Mt. San Jacinto's record fell to 7-8 after the Eagles lost for the fifth time in their last six outings.
Sophomore pitcher Kiara Flaviani overcame her early-inning struggles to pick up her ninth win in as many starts. The right-hander pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with two walks, two hit batters and three strikeouts.
Palomar returns to Pacific Coast Athletic Conference play on Feb. 24 with a home game against No. 20 Southwestern at 3 p.m.