SAN MARCOS (4/25/2023) – The Palomar College softball team clinched its ninth consecutive Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship on Tuesday with a 14-0 victory over San Diego City College.
Eight of the Comets' 14 hits went for extra bases against the Knights as the state's top-ranked team improved to 34-1 overall and 10-0 in the PCAC with the five-inning win at Bradley Park. Palomar was scheduled to wrap up the regular season on Wednesday with a conference doubleheader at Imperial Valley.
"We've had a lot of games the last two weeks, so we could use a little rest before the playoffs begin," said coach Lacey Craft, whose club will host a first-round series when the Southern California Regionals begin on May 5.
A two-run double by freshman designated player Mariah Briceno highlighted a three-run first inning for the Comets, who went on to put the game away against San Diego City with five runs in the third inning and six more in the fourth.
Five players had multiple hits for Palomar, including freshman right fielder Mariah Diaz, who came off the bench to drive in four runs with a single and a triple. Sophomore shortstop Elisa Haas drove in two runs with a single and a double, and sophomore second baseman Malachy Russell-Millen scored three runs while igniting two big-inning rallies with a leadoff double to left field in the third and a leadoff triple to center in the fourth.
Starting right fielder Faith Steffany had a double and a triple, sophomore center fielder Cadee Herrmann had two singles and scored two runs, and sophomore first baseman Allyson Amato provided a bases-loaded triple in the third.
Pitchers India Caldwell and Guilianna "Gigi" Clavel combined to blank the Knights (6-25, 3-8) on four hits for the Comets' 20th shutout of the season. Caldwell, a sophomore right-hander, started and pitched three innings for the win to improve her record to 23-1. She allowed two hits with four strikeouts. Clavel, a freshman right-hander, worked two innings and allowed two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
The conference title is the 40th for Palomar softball in 45 seasons dating back to 1978.