Posted: Apr 14, 2026
Comets rout Mesa, clinch 12th straight PCAC pennant
Palomar
(32-1, 12-0)
11
San Diego Mesa
(23-9, 9-3)
2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
|
San Diego Mesa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
SAN DIEGO, CA (4/14/2026) – When it comes to conference championships, make it a dozen straight for the Palomar College Comets.
Palomar hoisted the Pacific Coast Athletic Association softball pennant for the 12th consecutive season with a title-clinching 11-2 win Tuesday at San Diego Mesa College. The run-rule victory in six innings kept the Comets unbeaten in conference play at 13-0 while improving the state's No. 2-ranked team to 33-1 overall.
San Diego Mesa came into the contest ranked No. 10 in the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association state poll, the highest in program history, but the loss left the Olympians at 9-4 in conference play and 23-10 overall.
Ava Alvarez and Lauren Doepping each hit home runs and freshman right fielder Kailey Dain had three hits as the Comets claimed their 41st conference crown with their 21st straight win.
Palomar used three pitchers for the second straight game, and sophomore right-hander Kiara Flaviani earned her state-leading 29th win by limiting the Olympians to one run on five hits over four innings in the circle. Flaviani walked one and struck out four before yielding to Gianna Burgin in the fifth inning.
Burgin, a freshman right-hander, allowed one run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout, and sophomore right-hander Haley White finished the game with a scoreless sixth inning on two groundouts and an infield popup.
The Comets' offense started fast in the top of the first inning as a leadoff walk to sophomore first baseman Alexis Huey and a single by Dain preceded a three-run home run by Alvarez, the fifth homer of the season for the freshman third baseman.
A two-out double and a single allowed Mesa to score a run in the bottom of the third inning, but the visitors responded in the top of the fourth with four runs, all scoring with two outs. Huey doubled and scored on a single by Dain, and a walk to Alvarez was followed by a three-run home run by Doepping, the 12th of the season for the sophomore designated player.
Palomar added two runs in the fifth as two freshman pinch-hitters reached base when Delaney Smith singled and Emma Schneider walked. Both came around to score on RBI singles by Huey and Dain.
Singles by Doepping and freshman pinch-hitter Natalie Arendt preceded a two-out, two-run triple by sophomore catcher Dominique Garcia in the sixth inning for the Comets' final two runs.
After being limited to a season-low three hits in a 2-1 win over Fullerton on April 11, Palomar responded with 12 hits against Mesa. In addition to Dain's three hits, Huey and Doepping had two hits apiece, with Alvarez and Doepping each providing three RBIs.
The Comets have a conference home game against Imperial Valley on April 16 at 1 p.m. before going back on the road April 18 for a nonconference doubleheader at College of the Canyons. Palomar closes out the regular season April 21 with its final PCAC contest at San Diego City College.
Postseason play begins May 1-2 for the 3C2A Southern California Regionals, with eight teams hosting best-of-3 series for the first round. The Super Regionals will be held the following weekend, and the top four teams from the South and the top four from Northern California will converge on Bakersfield College May 14-17 for the state championship tournament.