Posted: May 08, 2026
Comets rally past Marauders behind Huey, Burgin
Antelope Valley
(31-12)
4
Palomar
(40-1)
8
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Antelope Valley | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
|
Palomar | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | X | 8 | 10 | 0 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (5/8/2026) – Alexis Huey drove in four runs with a double and a home run, and Gianna Burgin pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief without allowing a hit as Palomar College prevailed for an 8-4 softball victory Friday over Antelope Valley College in the first game of a best-of-3 series in the 3C2A Southern California Super Regionals.
Huey hit a two-run double in the bottom of the second inning, and the sophomore first baseman added her team-leading 22nd home run of the season in her next at-bat, a two-run shot to center field which sparked a five-run rally in the fifth inning for the Comets. Sophomore designated hitter Lauren Doepping also homered for the hosts in the fifth, a two-run laser which cleared the right-field fence for her 13th round-tripper of the season as Palomar overcame a 4-3 deficit.
The top-seeded Comets notched their 40th victory of the season against one loss and can clinch the series against the Marauders with another win in game two on Saturday at noon. The series winner will advance to the 3C2A state championship tournament being held May 14-17 at Bakersfield College.
No. 9 seed Antelope Valley (31-12), which eliminated No. 8 Cypress with a two-game sweep in their first-round series the previous weekend, opened the scoring at Palomar with a solo home run by first baseman Marley Delgado to lead off the top of the second inning. The Comets responded with three runs in the bottom of the third, which Doepping led off with a base on balls.
A single to left by sophomore center fielder Gisele Gonzalez and another walk issued to sophomore left fielder Taylor Armstrong loaded the bases, and freshman pinch-runner Penelope Morales raced home on a wild pitch to tie the score at 1-1. A one-out walk by sophomore catcher Dominique Garcia loaded the bases again, but Gonzalez was forced out at the plate on a fielder's choice grounder to short.
Huey followed with a two-out double to center, scoring Armstrong and Garcia for a 3-1 Palomar lead.
Antelope Valley reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning on another solo home run by Delgado and a two-run homer by second baseman Hartley Lundquist off Palomar starting pitcher Kiara Flaviani. Following a leadoff single and a groundout to start the fifth inning, Flaviani was relieved in the circle by Burgin. The freshman right-hander struck out the next two batters to finish the inning.
The Comets took back the lead with their five-run rally in the fifth, which began with a leadoff single to left by sophomore shortstop Nalia Nuanez. Huey followed with her second home run in as many games as Palomar went back in front, 5-4.
Freshman third baseman Ava Alvarez coaxed a one-out walk, and Doepping chased Marauders starting pitcher Hailey Davis with her two-run homer. A double to left by Gonzalez led to another run as she scored ahead of a two-out RBI single to right by freshman second baseman Kristina Deal, giving Palomar a four-run cushion.
A leadoff walk in the top of the sixth inning was erased by freshman right fielder Kailey Dain, who snared a fly ball for the second out and quickly relayed to Huey at first to pick off the baserunner for an inning-ending double play. Burgin then retired the visitors in the seventh inning, improving her season record to 3-0 by sandwiching two of her five strikeouts around a two-out walk to secure the Comets' 28th consecutive win.
Huey also doubled and homered in Palomar's previous game, an 11-1 series-clinching triumph over Ventura on May 2 in the first round of the SoCal Regionals. Burgin pitched two scoreless innings to close out that contest against the Pirates while preserving Flaviani's 34th win of the season.