SAN MARCOS– Palomar clinched its fourth consecutive conference championship, defeating Imperial City twice at home and once on the road.
The Comets entered the week needing only one more win to acquire the conference title. Having bested the Imperial Valley Desert Warriors twice this season, the team’s confidence and morale were high heading into the three-game series.
Game 1 – Palomar 17 – Imperial Valley 1
A grand slam was enough to earn Palomar’s baseball team a decisive victory at home against Imperial Valley, a triumph that marked their fourth consecutive conference championship.
The Comets were very confident about winning the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC) championship going into this game.
“Going into the week, we knew that we just needed to win this game, and I just thought we played well as a team together and we came out,” Braedon Peterson- Cheek said.
Brandon Bollerer also helped the team with pitching six innings, allowing only four base on balls, and striking out six hitters.
“I haven’t really been a strikeout pitcher the whole season, so when I do get quite a few strikeouts in one game, it does feel really good,” Bollerer said.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Adrian Macias was on third, Jordan Treadwell was on second base, and Jacob Loving was on first. Braedon Peterson–Cheek hit a grand slam, securing the Comets another conference championship.
“I mean, I was having a rough day, so I just tried to put a good swing on the ball, just putting up a quality at bat, and then just got lucky. He left one over the play and just put my swing on it,” Peterson-Cheek said.
Head coach Ben Adams mentioned, This was Peterson-Cheek’s first home run of the season. That was a perfect time to hit his first home run.
Adams shared what part of the game he felt the team had secured their fourth consecutive conference win.
“We started out the game and we were able to put some runs up and put ourselves in good shape,” Adams said.
Game 2 – Palomar 19 – Imperial Valley 11
Palomar remains undefeated against Imperial Valley despite a late-game rally by the Desert Warriors.
Comets’ Center Fielder Justin Tucker showed why he is one of the most prolific freshman players in the PCAC, batting 2-2 with two stolen bases and a home run.
“I was just hunting my pitch, hunting my zone and I got one fortunately, and I was able to do damage,” Tucker said.
Gavin Malcomson knocked in four RBIs of his own in his first full-game start of the season.
“I was just trying to hunt my pitch, and I got those in the game,” Malcomson said. “I haven’t gotten a ton of time so it was nice to get my opportunity and take advantage of it when I could.”
Palomar struggled in the 8th inning, giving up six runs and changing pitchers three times before Relief Pitcher Joey Halter put an end to the rally. Halter dominated on the mound in the 9th, retiring Imperial Valley’s batters in order and securing the victory for the Comets.
“The goal was just to limit damage as much as possible, just kind of stop the bleeding,” Halter said. “I think team spirit was always kind of high no matter what, but I think it did give us a little motivation.”
Game 3 – Palomar 17 – Imperial Valley 3
Dominant pitching and a couple of two-run home runs bring the Palomar baseball team’s regular season to a close on a high note.
Imperial Valley’s starting pitcher George Villanueva held Palomar’s offense in check for four innings. All that changed when Adrian Macias and Drake Cobb each crushed a two-run home run to put the Comets up 4-0.
“I was just really on time today, swing felt good in the pre-game. My first one just missed, but the second one I just got it out in front,” Macias said.
The runs just kept coming for the Comets the remainder of the game, but the real star of the match was on the mound. Starting pitcher Joey Navarro pitched seven innings and struck out seven batters while surrendering only one run.
“I knew they were going to come out swinging, so I knew I had to be careful with what kind of pitches I threw and how I threw them with conviction,” Navarro said. “It brings me a lot of confidence.”
Palomar’s pitching held Imperial Valley to only three runs on the day, and Coach Adams was very impressed with the turnaround from the previous game in which the Comets gave up 11 runs.
“We scored a lot of runs and we sort of lost focus, but they came back today with a lot more focus. They were really dialed in today,” Coach Adams said.
This win marked the end of the regular season for Comets’ baseball. A season that saw the Comets win the PCAC with a 21-4 record. They rank fourth overall in the state with a 25-10 record heading into the postseason.
“We’ll come back on Monday, once we find out who we’re playing and who we’re hosting and we’ll get back to work,” Coach Adams said. “It’s just a matter of getting out there and having some fun. Go play and see what happens.”
For more information on the Palomar Comets’ baseball team and to follow them into the postseason, check out their website.
