San Marcos, Calif. – In a statement win on the road, the No. 4-ranked Mt. SAC Softball Team handed No. 2 Palomar its first loss of the season with a 3-2 extra-inning victory on Saturday, February 28. The Mounties improve to 14-2 overall and remain unbeaten in South Coast Conference play at 7-0. The Comets fall to 12-1 overall and remain undefeated at 3-0 in the Pacific Coast Conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The showdown between two top-five teams delivered exactly what was expected — intensity, resilience and high-level execution from start to finish.
Palomar struck first in the bottom of the third inning when Zoe Herford surrendered a two-run home run to Alexis Huey, giving the Comets a 2-0 lead.
But Mt. SAC stayed locked in.
The Mounties responded in the sixth inning with clutch hitting. Amanda Porterfield and Emily Sandoval each delivered RBI singles, driving in Izel Avalos and Hailey Montoya to knot the game at 2-2.
With neither team budging in the seventh inning, the game moved into extra innings.
Palomar's Kiara Flaviani was impressive in the circle, going the distance for the Comets and throwing 106 pitches, 74 for strikes. But in the eighth inning, fatigue appeared to set in. She issued just her only two walks of the game, putting Sarai Raygoza and Porterfield aboard.
A single from Sandoval drove in Raygoza as the Mounties took their first lead of the afternoon.
Vanessa Hawks handled the rest. The freshman pitcher retired the Comets in order in the bottom of the eighth, inducing two groundouts and a strikeout looking to secure one of Mt. SAC's biggest wins of the season.
KEY PLAYERS:
- Vanessa Hawks: 5 innings pitched, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
- Zoe Herford: 3 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
- Emily Sandoval: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, game-winning hit
NEXT UP:
The Mounties are headed back to conference action with an away matchup against East Los Angeles College (9-4, 2-4) on Tuesday, March 3, at 2:00 PM.
STAY CONNECTED:
Follow Mt. SAC Softball on Twitter @mtsac_softball or Instagram /mt.sacsoftball/
Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on Twitter @MtSAC_athletics Instagram /mtsac_athletics/ or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics
For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.