Posted: Mar 31, 2026
Comets in top form with 12-3 win over Griffins
Palomar
(25-1, 11-0)
12
Grossmont
(14-16, 4-7)
3
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 0 |
|
Grossmont | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
EL CAJON, CA (3/31/2026) – The top three batters in the lineup combined for six hits as Palomar College returned to the softball diamond Tuesday with a 12-3 victory at Grossmont College which left the Comets unbeaten atop the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference standings.
Alexis Huey, Kailey Dain and Emma Schneider all had two hits apiece while batting in the first three spots in the order, and Ava Alvarez added her third home run of the season in grand fashion as Palomar, ranked No. 2 in the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association state poll, improved to 25-1 on the season and 11-0 in conference play with the five-inning run-rule win.
Grossmont took a brief 1-0 lead by scoring a run on three straight two-out hits off Palomar starting pitcher Kiara Flaviani in the bottom of the first inning. The Comets responded in the top of the second when Alvarez drew a leadoff walk, was sacrificed to second by Taylor Armstrong and scored on a two-out double to right-center field by Delaney Smith.
The visitors exploded for eight runs in the third inning, which Dain led off with a single up the middle. Schneider and Gisele Gonzalez followed with singles to load the bases for Alvarez, and the freshman third baseman delivered a grand slam to right field for a 5-1 Palomar lead.
Two walks and a Grossmont error led to an RBI single by Dain, and with the bases loaded, Schneider drove in three runs with a double to right-center field.
Alvarez was hit by a pitch and scored on an error in the fourth inning, and the Comets added two runs in the fifth on a pinch-hit single by Aubrey Thorne, a run-scoring double by Huey and a fielder's choice grounder by Schneider, a freshman who had four RBIs as Palomar's designated player.
The offensive support was more than enough for Flaviani, who allowed three runs on seven hits over four innings while improving her record to 22-1. The sophomore right-hander had one walk and four strikeouts before yielding to freshman right-hander Gianna Burgin in the fifth inning.
Burgin pitched a scoreless fifth with one hit batter to secure the Comets' 13th straight win and a three-game season sweep of Grossmont while dropping the Griffins to 14-16 overall and 4-7 in conference play.
Palomar's next game is a nonconference matchup at home against Orange Coast on April 1 at 2 p.m. The Comets take on another opponent from the Orange Empire Conference when they visit No. 13 Cypress for a doubleheader on April 4 with the first game slated for a 1 p.m. start. Palomar returns to PCAC action April 7 with a home contest against Southwestern at 3 p.m.