Posted: Apr 04, 2026
Comets sweep Cypress aside
Palomar
(28-1, 11-0)
12
Cypress
(18-11, 7-5)
1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 1 |
|
Cypress | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
CYPRESS, CA (4/4/2026) – Palomar College continued to show its dominance as the top community college softball team in Southern California when the state's No. 2-ranked team swept a nonconference doubleheader Saturday at No. 12 Cypress College.
In the first game, leadoff batter Alexis Huey had three hits for the second straight game as the Comets defeated Cypress, 7-3. In the nightcap, three Palomar batters had three-hit performances, Huey added two more hits and Ava Alvarez slugged her second grand-slam home run of the week as the visitors run-ruled the Chargers with a 12-1 romp in five innings.
The doubleheader sweep in a matchup of defending conference champions extended Palomar's current win streak to 16 games while improving the Comets' record to 28-1. Cypress, co-champions of the Orange Empire Conference last season, dropped to 18-11.
Palomar's Kiara Flaviani was the winning pitcher in both games as she improved to 25-1 on the season. The sophomore right-hander started both games in the circle, pitching 5 1/3 innings in the opener and an additional four innings in the nightcap. Freshman right-hander Gianna Burgin closed out both games.
Singles by Huey, Kailey Dain and Lauren Doepping led to Palomar's first run of the day in the top of the first inning of game 1, and the Comets took a 4-0 lead in the third inning, which Huey led off with a triple to right field. Dain scored Huey with a single down the left-field line, and Gisele Gonzalez and Taylor Armstrong each added RBI singles during the rally.
After Cypress got on the scoreboard with an unearned run in the bottom of the third, Palomar responded with three more runs in fifth inning, which began with a leadoff single by Alvarez. Pinch-runner Natalie Arendt came around to score on a triple to by Armstrong, pinch-hitter Grace McNally scored Armstrong with a fielder's choice grounder, and Doepping drove in a run the painful way when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Flaviani retired the first batter of the sixth inning before allowing a single and a walk. Burgin then took over in the circle and gave up a two-run double before retiring the next two batters on a groundout and a flyout. Burgin survived a walk and two singles to pitch a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout.
In addition to Huey's three hits, Dain, Alavarez and Armstrong all had two hits apiece as the Comets out-hit their hosts, 12-8.
Palomar added 13 more hits in game 2, including a first-inning grand slam by Alvarez after Huey reached on an error, Dain singled and Doepping walked to load the bases. The home run was the fourth of the season for the freshman third baseman who also hit a grand slam on March 31 against Grossmont to start the week.
A leadoff single by Nalia Nuanez and a run-scoring double by Huey ignited a three-run rally by the visitors in the fourth inning, and the Comets sealed the deal in the fifth with five more runs. Sophomore catcher Dominique Garcia led off the inning with a double down the left-field line, and Nuanez, Huey and Dain all added singles before Doepping coaxed a bases-loaded walk. Armstrong capped the rally with an RBI triple to center.
Dain, Armstrong and Nuanez all had three hits apiece for the Comets, and Alvarez was credited with seven RBIs. With two additional hits and five on the day, Huey boosted her season batting average to .570, the second-leading average in the state.
Flaviani scattered five hits over four innings while allowing one run with no walks and two strikeouts, and Burgin pitched a scoreless fifth with two walks and one strikeout.
Palomar returns to Pacific Coast Athletic Conference action April 7 with a home contest against Southwestern at 3 p.m. The 11-time defending conference champions lead the PCAC with an 11-0 record, good for a three-game lead over No. 10 San Diego Mesa with four games remaining on the conference schedule.
The Comets trail only College of San Mateo in the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association state poll. The defending state champion Bulldogs have been ranked No. 1 every week since the preseason poll and are the state's only remaining unbeaten team with a 32-0 record as of April 4.