Posted: May 01, 2026
Comets win playoff opener behind Garcia, Flaviani
Ventura
(22-19-1)
2
Palomar
(38-1)
6
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ventura | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
|
Palomar | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 6 | 7 | 0 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (5/1/2026) – The battery provided the charge Friday for the Palomar College softball team as sophomore catcher Dominique Garcia came through with two clutch hits and sophomore pitcher Kiara Flaviani spun six strong innings, leading the Comets to a 6-2 victory over Ventura College in the first game of a best-of-3 series in the first round of the 3C2A Southern California Regionals.
A run-scoring single by Garcia drove in Palomar's first run in the bottom of the second inning, and she added another RBI single in the third inning to score the go-ahead run as the hosts broke a 2-2 tie and never looked back while improving to 38-1 on the season.
Flaviani allowed two runs in the top of the third inning but otherwise held the Pirates scoreless over her other five innings in the circle as the right-hander boosted her season record to 33-1. Freshman right-hander Gianna Burgin pitched a scoreless seventh inning to secure Palomar's 26th consecutive triumph.
The Comets came into the contest as the top-seeded team for the SoCal Regionals, and the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference champions can clinch the series with another victory on Saturday in game 2, which is scheduled to start at noon. Game 3, if necessary, would follow shortly after the second game.
Ventura, the Western State Conference-North champions, came into the postseason as the final team to be slotted into the SoCal Regionals as the No. 18 seed, but the Pirates defeated No. 15 seed Orange Coast, 9-3, in a play-in game on April 28 to advance to the first round of the Regionals.
Palomar took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, which began with a leadoff walk to sophomore left fielder Taylor Armstrong. Three consecutive hits by the 7-8-9 batters in the order followed as freshman second baseman Kristina Deal singled to right field to send Armstrong to third, Garcia singled to left after a 10-pitch at-bat to score Armstrong, and sophomore shortstop Nalia Nuanez singled through the left side to score Deal.
After the Pirates tied the score in the top of the third on three consecutive hits with two outs, the Comets responded in the bottom of the third as Deal drew a two-out walk, stole second and scored on a single up the middle by Garcia to break the tie and give Palomar a 3-2 lead.
Flaviani allowed a two-out walk in the fourth inning and two harmless singles in the sixth as she kept Ventura off the scoreboard after the third inning. She received additional offensive support in the bottom of the sixth when Palomar added three insurance runs on a pair of walks to sophomore first baseman Alexis Huey and freshman right fielder Kailey Dain, a two-run double to the fence in right-center field by freshman third baseman Ava Alvarez, and a run-scoring single to left by sophomore designated player Lauren Doepping.
Garcia and Deal each had two stolen bases for the winners, who made the most of their seven hits supplemented by eight walks. Flaviani allowed six hits with one hit batter, one walk and six strikeouts. Burgin allowed a one-out infield single during her one inning in the circle, which included two strikeouts while dropping Ventura's record to 22-19-1 overall.
The eight first-round winners in the Regionals will advance to the Super Regionals being held May 8-9, also in the best-of-3 format. The top four teams from the South and the top four from Northern California will converge on Bakersfield College for the 3C2A state championship tournament being held May 14-17.