Posted: Mar 08, 2025
Early power surge sparks Comets past Hornets, 13-5
Fullerton
(4-9)
5
Palomar
(13-2)
13
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fullerton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
|
Palomar | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 2 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (3/8/2025) – Power came from the corners as Zoe Karam and Breanna Lutz each slugged home runs Saturday to help Palomar College overcome an early three-run deficit, and the Comets went on to overpower defending state softball champion Fullerton, 13-5, in six innings.
Karam, a freshman first baseman, belted a two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the first inning to shave what was a 3-0 Fullerton lead to 3-2. The homer was Karam's team-leading fifth of the season, but not to be out-done was Lutz, who bombed a grand-slam home run to right-center on the first pitch she saw in the second inning to give Palomar a lead it never lost.
For the sophomore third baseman, the round-tripper was also her fifth of the season, tying Karam for the team lead in that department. Lutz also walked three times, scoring in the third inning ahead of a single to right by Karam, and drawing an intentional pass in the sixth inning before sophomore second baseman Josephine Heuberger followed with a single up the middle which brought home the two runs necessary for the mercy-run rule to take effect.
Heuberger had three of Palomar's 14 hits, including a one-out single in the first which preceded Karam's home run. Freshman center fielder Gisele Gonzalez also provided three hits and scored twice on the home run by Lutz and the game-ending hit by Heuberger.
Freshman left fielder Taylor Armstrong had two hits, including a leadoff single to ignite the Comets' six-run second inning. The second-inning outburst also included a two-run triple to left-center field by sophomore catcher Isabella De Filippis.
With their ninth straight victory, the Comets improved their record to 13-2 while ascending to the No. 2 spot in the latest California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association state poll. Palomar has not lost a game since a 3-1 setback last month at Fullerton, which dropped to 4-9 on the season with its fifth consecutive loss.
Sophomore left-hander Maddie Bedolla started in the circle and pitched four innings to improve to 8-0. Bedolla had her streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings ended when she allowed three runs (two earned) in the first inning. The Hornets bunched together a leadoff home run, two singles, a walk and two Palomar errors to take a short-lived 3-0 lead.
Bedolla finished with five runs allowed (four earned) on nine hits. She walked three and struck out two. Sophomore right-hander Nevaeh Haywood pitched two scoreless innings in relief, allowing one hit and one walk. The top of the sixth inning ended on a double play when freshman shortstop Nalia Nuanez snared a line drive and fired to Karam at first to retire the baserunner who had walked.f
The Comets are scheduled to host San Diego City on March 11 and Grossmont on March 13 in a pair of Pacific Coast Athletic matchups. The first pitch for both games is 3 p.m., weather permitting.