Posted: Mar 03, 2026
Comets start fast, roll past Desert Warriors
Imperial Valley
(9-8-2, 1-3)
0
Palomar
(13-1, 4-0)
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Imperial Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
|
Palomar | 8 | 2 | 0 | 4 | X | 14 | 12 | 0 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (3/3/2026) – Palomar College responded to its first softball loss of the season with an eight-run first inning Tuesday en route to a 14-0 romp over Imperial Valley College.
The Comets sent 12 batters to the plate in the opening frame and went on to claim its fourth Pacific Coast Athletic Conference victory in as many games while improving to 13-1 overall. Palomar, ranked No. 2 in the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association state poll, won its first 12 games of the season before dropping a 3-2 nonconference decision to No. 4 Mt. San Antonio on Feb. 28.
Sophomore first baseman Alexis Huey singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and she added another single to left field later in the inning as the hosts batted around with seven hits against two Imperial Valley pitchers. Freshman right fielder Emma Schneider provided a two-run triple to right-center field, sophomore center fielder Gisele Gonzalez and sophomore left fielder Taylor Armstrong each had a run-scoring double, and freshman second baseman Kristina Deal and sophomore catcher Dominique Garcia both chipped in with RBI singles.
Deal tacked on two more runs in the second inning when she hit her sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left-field fence after Gonzalez hit a one-out single to left.
Seven players came off the bench in a pinch-hitting role in the bottom of the fourth inning as Palomar scored four additional runs for the final margin. Freshmen Kailey Dain and Emily Wright each drew walks to start the rally, and both scored on a pinch-hit double to center by freshman Tyler Krystek.
One out later, freshman Delaney Smith clouted her first home run of the season over the fence in left to close out the scoring as the run-rule victory for the Comets dropped Imperial Valley to 9-8-2 overall and 1-3 in the PCAC.
Sophomore pitcher Kiara Flaviani, who worked eight innings three days earlier against Mt. SAC, spun four scoreless innings against the Desert Warriors, improving her record to 12-1. The only two IVC baserunners in the game reached on singles in the top of the second inning, but Flaviani struck out the next two batters to end the mild threat.
Sophomore Hailey White pitched a scoreless fifth inning to complete the shutout, Palomar's fourth of the season. Nine different players accounted for 12 hits at the plate, with half of those hits going for extra bases.
The Comets have another PCAC contest at San Diego City on Thursday at 3 p.m. before returning home Saturday for a nonconference doubleheader against Bakersfield. Game 1 is slated for a 1 p.m. start.