Posted: Feb 04, 2026
Comets blow past Santa Ana, 14-0
Santa Ana
(1-4)
0
Palomar
(2-0)
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Ana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
|
Palomar | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | X | 14 | 15 | 0 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (2/4/2026) – Pounding out 15 hits in just four innings at the plate, the Palomar College softball team rolled to its second win of the season Wednesday with a 14-0 rout of Santa Ana in the 2026 home opener for the Comets.
Sophomore left fielder Taylor Armstrong and freshman second baseman Kristina Deal collected three hits apiece, sophomore center fielder Gisele Gonzalez drove in four runs, and sophomore designated player Lauren Doepping slugged a first-inning home run for the second time in two games as Palomar batted around twice during the nonconference triumph.
A total of 18 players saw action in the second outing of the year for coach Lacey Craft.
"It's early in the season, so you really don't know what to expect from any of the teams," said Craft, the former Comets pitcher who is now in her 16th year as the head coach at Palomar. "We're a young and developing team, so it was fun to see everybody get in the game and contribute."
Sophomore pitcher Kiara Flaviani picked up her second win for the Comets, who are ranked No. 2 in the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association state poll. The right-hander pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three singles and one walk with three strikeouts.
Sophomore Hailey White relieved Flaviani in the top of the fifth inning and pitched one scoreless inning with one hit batter and one strikeout to complete the shutout.
Palomar batted around in the first inning following a leadoff single to center field by sophomore first baseman Alexis Huey, her first of two hits in the game. Freshman third baseman Natalie Arendt drew a walk and Armstrong scored Huey with an RBI single to center field before Doepping launched her second home run of the season over the left-field fence for an early 4-0 Comets lead.
A leadoff single up the middle by Arendt ignited a three-run rally in the second inning for the hosts, and Deal provided the big hit with a two-out, two-run double down the left-field line. Palomar batted around again in the third, sending 10 batters to the plate for the second time while adding five runs on the scoreboard. A leadoff single to right by sophomore shortstop Nalia Nuanez began the rally, and Gonzalez hit a two-run double to left-center field for one of six hits for the Comets during the third-inning uprising.
Gonzalez, who hit a sacrifice fly to right in the second inning, added a run-scoring single to center in the fourth and the Dons committed two errors as the Comets added two more runs to close out the run-rule victory. Santa Ana finished with more errors (four) than hits (three) while falling to 1-4 on the season.
Palomar will host Los Angeles Mission for a Saturday doubleheader on Feb. 7, with Game 1 slated for an 11 a.m. start. The Comets are coming off a 44-5 season, which included their 11th consecutive Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship and a runner-up finish at the 3C2A State Championship.