SAN MARCOS — Palomar softball gears up for the first round playoff matchup after a stellar regular season.
The Comets went 36-3 overall during the regular season and 15-0 in conference play for the 40th conference title in program history.
Palomar is now set to face off against the College of the Canyons Cougars in a best-of-three matchup. The Comets and Cougars met just a few weeks ago, with Palomar winning both games of a doubleheader 9-1 and 12-4, respectively.
Game one of the series will be at 2 p.m. on May 2. Game two is set for noon on May 3, and game three (if necessary) will also be at 2 p.m. on May 3.
The Comets’ offense dominates up and down the lineup. Scoring 398 runs on the season with 36 home runs and a .434 team batting average.
No. 14 College of the Canyons finished its regular season with a 20-20 record. The Cougars have had a rough stretch to end the season, losing three of their last five games.
Palomar has dominated the Cougars, winning the last seven matchups and outscoring them 68-16. The last time College of the Canyons won against Palomar was in the 2022 season, when the Comets lost 2-1 on the road.
“We all have to continue playing as a team and having each other’s backs,” freshman pitcher Kiara Flaviani said ahead of the playoffs.
Third baseman Breanna Lutz finishes the regular season leading the state in batting average, hitting .571, with nine home runs, 54 RBI, .629 on-base percentage, .992 slugging percentage, and zero strikeouts.
Zoe Karam led the Comets in home runs with 11, which tied her for the most in the state. Karam ended the year with a .460 batting average and 43 RBI.
In the pitching circle, the Comets had a dominant two-headed force of Maddie Bedolla and Nevaeh Haywood, who combined to give up only 56 runs on the year Bedolla threw 98.2 innings for the Comets, striking out 126 batters, with a 1.35 ERA. Haywood pitched in 102.1 innings, striking out 88 batters with a 1.92 ERA.
As the team prepares for the playoffs, questions have been raised about Bedolla’s health. She has missed five of the Comets’ final seven games. Bedolla threw only one pitch in the two games she played before being taken out.
“I hope for Maddie [Bedolla] to be back full strength, nice and fresh, because we have a lot of time between now and our next game for playoffs… I expect her to be back and ready to go 100%,” Head Coach Lacey Craft said.
Check out the athletics page for information on the Palomar Softball playoff schedule.
You can watch No. 14 Canyons vs. No.3 Palomar live on YouTube.
