Posted: May 14, 2026
Comets rout Santa Rosa in state tourney opener
Santa Rosa
(25-19)
3
Palomar
(42-2)
33
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Rosa | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
|
Palomar | 10 | 9 | 11 | 3 | X | 33 | 30 | 1 |
BAKERSFIELD, CA (5/14/2026) – Three batters into the bottom of the first inning, Ava Alvarez hit a two-run home run to give Palomar College an early lead over Santa Rosa College in their first-round matchup Thursday at the 3C2A Softball State Championships.
It was just the beginning of a deluge.
Taylor Armstrong added a three-run homer in the opening frame, the Comets batted around for 10 runs and the rout was on as Palomar rolled to a historic 33-3 romp over the Bear Cubs in a five-inning demolition. The offensive output marked the most runs ever scored in a 3C2A state tournament game since the event's inception in 1978.
Aubrey Thorne and Grace McNally came off the bench to add their first home runs of the season, and Alexis Huey took over the state lead in homers with her 23rd round-tripper of the year as the South Region's No. 1 seed advanced to a second-round matchup on Friday at 2 p.m. at Bakersfield College against San Joaquin Delta, a 9-3 winner over Long Beach City in Thursday's late game.
Huey, Palomar's leadoff batter and sophomore first baseman who was chosen the Player of the Year for the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference and was also the 3C2A South State Player of the Year, had five hits to help lead the Comets to their 42nd win against two losses.
Amassing 30 hits against the Bear Cubs, the Comets had 10 players with at least two hits, and three players with at least three hits, including Huey's 5-for-6 performance which included seven RBIs and four runs scored. Gisele Gonzalez and Kailey Dain each had three hits for the winners.
Palomar sent 17 batters to the plate in the first inning before batting around again in the second inning for nine runs. With coach Lacey Craft calling on the second platoon, the Comets batted around again in the third inning, scoring 11 runs with only two starters still in the lineup.
Huey added a three-run home run to center field in the fourth inning to close out the scoring and increase her state-leading RBI total to 80.
Alvarez drove in five runs with two hits, and her line-drive home run to right field in the first inning was the sixth of the season for the freshman third baseman. Armstrong's homer was the second of the year for the sophomore left fielder, and she also had a run-scoring single during the second-inning uprising.
Thorne reached base three times with her three-run home run to center in the second, a bases-loaded walk in the third and a single in the fourth, when the sophomore shortstop scored ahead of Huey's homer. McNally's home run was a two-run shot to right-center field in the third.
Sophomore right-hander Haley White pitched two innings of scoreless relief to pick up her fourth win of the season against no losses. She allowed two hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Palomar's previous season-high for runs and hits came in a 21-3 win at Riverside City on Feb. 10, when the Comets collected 23 hits.
As the North's lowest seed, Santa Rosa (25-19) tied for third place in the Big 8 Conference. Seeded No. 13 for the Northern California Regionals, the Bear Cubs eliminated No. 4 seed Sierra in the first round and No. 5 seed Hartnell in the Super Regionals.
In other first-round games at the state tourney on Thursday, defending state champion and North No. 1 seed College of San Mateo defeated South No. 4 seed Saddleback, 6-2; and North No. 3 seed Consumnes River scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to overcome South No. 2 seed San Diego Mesa, 7-3.