Posted: May 15, 2026
Flaviani tames Mustangs as Comets roll on at state
Palomar
(43-2)
7
San Joaquin Delta
(33-11)
2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 0 |
|
San Joaquin Delta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
BAKERSFIELD, CA (5/15/2026) – The long-awaited matchup between the state's top two community college softball teams will become reality after Palomar College subdued San Joaquin Delta College with a 7-2 victory in Friday's second round of the 3C2A Softball State Championships.
Kiara Flaviani kept the Mustangs at bay with a strong pitching performance, and Alexis Huey bookended the offensive attack with solo home runs in the first and seventh innings to help carry the Comets to their 43rd win of the season against two losses.
Next up for Palomar is defending state champion College of San Mateo, which advanced out of the second round Friday by defeating Consumnes River by the same 7-2 score. The Bulldogs also have 43 wins, but with just one loss on the season.
The two teams which met in the state championship final a year ago and are the top two seeds from their respective regions will clash again Saturday at Bakersfield College with another trip to the finals on the line. The first pitch is slated for high noon.
Following their record-breaking 33-3 romp over Santa Rosa in the opening round, the Comets wasted little time getting on the scoreboard against Delta as Huey led off the game with a solo home run to center field. The sophomore first baseman worked the count to 2-2 before connecting on her only swing of the at-bat.
Palomar added another first-inning run two batters later when freshman third baseman Ava Alvarez lined a home run to right for her second homer in two games and seventh of the season.
The South Region's top seed tacked on four more runs in the top of the second inning, which began with a leadoff single by sophomore left fielder Taylor Armstrong. Following a walk to freshman second baseman Kristina Deal, both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore catcher Dominique Garcia.
Armstrong scored on a single through the right side by sophomore shortstop Nalia Nuanez, but Deal was retired at home plate on a fielder's choice grounder back to the circle by Huey. Freshman right fielder Kailey Dain then beat out an infield hit to the left side, scoring Nuanez for a 4-0 Palomar lead.
Alvarez provided two additional runs with a two-run single to right-center as Dain and Huey easily scored to give the Comets a six-run cushion.
Flaviani was unhittable out of the circle for the first four innings against a Delta team which averaged 9½ runs per game while winning its five previous playoff contests in convincing fashion. The All-State selection retired the first 12 batters she faced on only 43 pitches before yielding a solo home run to Kiana Mazza to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning.
The sophomore right-hander retired six of the next seven batters, and Huey padded the Palomar lead to 7-1 with another solo homer to left with two out in the top of the seventh inning for her second round-tripper of the game, her third of the tournament and 25th of the season.
The first two Delta batters in the bottom of the seventh reached base with singles, and following a flyout to Armstrong in left, another single produced a run for the Mustangs. A walk on a full-count pitch loaded the bases, and freshman right-hander Gianna Burgin was called out of the bullpen to take over in the circle.
Burgin needed just four pitches and one batter to get two outs as Delta's Bianca Quintero hit into a game-ending double play turned by Nuanez and Deal, preserving Flaviani's state-leading 36th win of the season.
Flaviani limited the Big 8 Conference champions to five hits during her 6 1/3 innings of work, which included one walk and five strikeouts. She was backed by errorless defense which included diving catches for outs by Dain in right field and Armstrong in left.
The Comets collected nine hits while handing North Pitcher of the Year Elisa Galli just her fifth loss in 32 decisions. Huey, Alvarez and Armstrong had two hits apiece for the winners.
The loss dropped Delta to 33-11, and the Mustangs faced Saddleback later Friday in a losers' bracket elimination game.
In other second-round results at the state tourney on Friday, Saddleback eliminated San Diego Mesa with a 4-3 victory, and Santa Rosa bounced back from its loss to Palomar the previous day by eliminating Long Beach City with a 9-1 run-rule victory in five innings. In addition to Saddleback and San Joaquin Delta playing an elimination game later Friday, Santa Rosa and Consumnes River were also scheduled to meet in a win-or-go-home contest.