Eleven years after its last state title, Palomar College returned to the top of California community college softball May 17, overwhelming Saddleback College 13-0 at Bakersfield College to win the 3C2A Softball State Championship.
The championship was the sixth in program history for Palomar College and the third under head coach Lacey Craft, who previously led the Comets to state titles in 2013 and 2015.
The California community college system does not participate in a national postseason tournament.
“Everybody was really excited that they could accomplish a goal that we set out to complete since the end of last season,” Craft said. “A lot of the returners that lost the state championship game last year to San Mateo were obviously motivated from the get-go, but the freshmen jumped in and met the standard everybody set without really knowing what they were getting into.
“Against Saddleback, we really jumped on them,” she added. “We hit some home runs in that first inning, and I think that set the tone and made it an enjoyable game instead of kind of a stressful experience. It was really fun.”
The Comets wasted little time taking control of the championship game. Sophomore first baseman Alexis Huey opened the contest with a double before freshman third baseman Ava Alvarez launched a three-run home run to right-center field.
Moments later, designated player Lauren Doepping followed with a solo shot to center, giving Palomar a 4-0 lead before Saddleback could record an out.
Any remaining suspense disappeared in the second inning. The Comets sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven more runs, highlighted by a two-run homer from Huey and a grand slam by freshman second baseman Kristina Deal. Palomar finished with 14 hits, including three apiece from Huey and Alvarez, while Huey capped a dominant season by setting a new school and state record with her 27th home run.
“I’m not aiming to hit a home run every at bat, or even break records. I just kind of work for those line drives,” Huey said.
“I don’t think she hit a home run her high school career,” Craft added. “She hit two her freshman year here, and then just blew the charts up.”
Craft also pointed out Huey – the NFCA State Player of the Year and 3C2A SoCal Player of the Year – didn’t commit an error in the field all season.
“To not commit an error all year defensively too, the success on both sides of the ball is almost unheard of,” she said.
With the offense surging, sophomore right-hander Kiara Flaviani controlled the game from the circle. One day after throwing an eight-inning shutout against defending champion College of San Mateo in the semifinals, Flaviani held Saddleback to three hits over five scoreless innings while striking out seven.
The tournament’s Most Valuable Pitcher closed her sophomore season with a 38-1 record as Palomar completed a 45-2 campaign, outscoring opponents 54-5 across four state tournament victories.
“I just tried to keep it simple,” Flaviani said postgame. “The offense got me some runs early, so
it was nice to have that lead.”
“Kiara just kept getting stronger as the season went on,” Craft said. “She earned that
starting role early and kept getting better and better throughout the year. I think she only gave up two earned runs in the entire tournament and had more strikeouts than she’d probably had in any four-game stretch this season. It was really satisfying to see her have that kind of success at the state tournament and finish with that culmination at the end.”
Palomar ends the season with a .957 winning percentage, the best in program history.
“The group we had in the program this year, I can’t say enough about their work ethic and
competitiveness,” Craft said.
