Posted: Mar 29, 2025
Karam walk-off slam caps sweep of Cypress
Cypress
(22-6)
6
Palomar
(24-2)
10
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cypress | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
|
Palomar | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 1 |
SAN MARCOS, CA (3/29/2025) – Zoe Karam slugged a walk-off grand slam to end Game 2 in stunning fashion as Palomar College swept a doubleheader from Cypress College in a non-conference matchup of two of the state's top five softball teams.
Karam's game-winning blast was just part of a big day for the sophomore first baseman, who hit two home runs in Game 1 as the Comets claimed a 10-2 victory in five innings before ending the nightcap with a bases-loaded shot off the scoreboard in center field with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Palomar a 10-6 triumph.
Ranked No. 2 in the latest 3CFCA state poll, the Comets improved to 24-2 on the season while the twinbill sweep of the Chargers extended the longest current win streak in the state to 20 games. No. 5-ranked
Cypress dropped to 22-6 after suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
In addition to Karam, batting stars were numerous for Palomar, which battered the Chargers with 14 hits in the first game and 18 hits in the nightcap. Freshman left fielder Taylor Armstrong and freshman right fielder Alexis Huey were both a combined 6-for-7 at the plate in the two games, and freshman designated player Lauren Doepping was a combined 4-for-6, including her fifth home run in seven games and sixth of the season.
Karam got Game 1 off to a bang with a two-out solo home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning, and after Cypress tied the game with a run in the top of the second, Palomar pulled away with a six-run rally in the third inning. The Comets sent 10 batters to the plate in the third, beginning with a leadoff double to right by sophomore third baseman Breanna Lutz.
A two-run home run to left by Karam broke the 1-1 deadlock, and the bats did not stop there for the hosts as the next five batters hit safely. Singles by Doepping and Huey were followed by a two-run double to center by Armstrong, an RBI single by freshman catcher Dominique Garcia and a run-scoring double down the left-field line by freshman center fielder Gisele Gonzalez.
The Comets added two runs after two were out in the fourth on a double to the left-field corner by Doepping and RBI singles by Huey and Armstrong. Trailing 9-1, Cypress scored a run with two out in the top of the fifth to avoid the mercy-run rule, but the Chargers only prolonged the outcome as Palomar scored the decisive run in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff triple to left by Gonzalez and a game-ending sacrifice fly to right by Lutz.
Sophomore left-hander Maddie Bedolla pitched five innings for her 12th win in as many decisions. She allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
The visitors put up more of a fight in Game 2 as the Chargers tried to avoid being swept in San Marcos for the second time in three years. A leadoff walk issued by Palomar starting pitcher Nevaeh Haywood and a one-out single led to a 1-0 Cypress lead in the top of the first before Palomar countered with three runs in the bottom of the first.
A two-out double to center by Karam started the rally, which was kept alive by a hit batter, a run-scoring double to left-center by Huey and a two-run triple to right by Armstrong.
The Chargers went back in front in the third with three runs on five consecutive hits off Haywood, who kept the Cypress lead at 4-3 by striking out the side. The momentum swung back to the Comets in the bottom of the third on a leadoff double to left by Doepping, singles by Huey and Armstrong and a sacrifice fly to left by Gonzalez to provide Palomar with a 5-4 advantage.
Doepping's two-out solo home run in the fourth boosted the Comets' lead to a two-run margin, but the Chargers responded by scoring two runs off Bedolla with two out in the sixth to knot the score at 6-6. Bedolla had relieved Haywood with one out and one on in the top of the fourth inning and kept the visitors scoreless until their sixth-inning rally.
After being held scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, Palomar loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh on a double to left by Gonzalez, a single to left by freshman shortstop Nalia Nuanez and a walk to Lutz. Following a flyout to shallow left field which failed to advance the runners, Karam responded with her game-winning slam for her team-leading eighth home run of the season.
Bedolla picked up her second win of the day with 3 2/3 innings of relief work, improving her unbeaten record to 13-0. She had one walk and three strikeouts.
The Comets have not lost since Feb. 11 when they dropped a 3-1 decision at Fullerton. Since being held to one run by the Hornets, Palomar has scored at least six runs in every game during the win streak, during which the Comets have scored an average of 11.7 runs per game.
Following a Pacific Coast Athletic Conference contest at Grossmont on April 1, Palomar will entertain another highly-ranked team the next day when No. 4 Orange Coast pays a visit for a 1 p.m. nonconference matchup on April 2.