Palomar Punches Ticket to Finals, Topping Santa Ana, 4-3

Irvine, Calif. - The Palomar College baseball team has punched its ticket to the state finals after a hard-fought, 4-3 win over Santa Ana College in the championship semifinals of the 3C2A Baseball State Championship on Sunday at the Great Park.

The Comets (43-6) will take on the winner of the Game 5 elimination game between Santa Ana and Feather River on Sunday at 11 a.m. 

Palomar jumped out to a 4-0 lead early on, thanks to a pair of run-scoring ground outs in the first two innings, followed by a two-run single in the third off the bat of Michael Rodda.

Santa Ana (41-7-1) quickly responded in the bottom of the third when Aiden Marquez slugged a three-run home run to right-center off of Comet starter Elijah Stephens, trimming the Comets' lead to one.

But from there, the story of the game became the bullpens of each team. Both teams were held scoreless the rest of the way, showing exactly WHY these two teams each earned over 40 wins this year.

Cody Cappelletti (2-0) came in relief of Stephens and held the Dons to just two hits over 4 1/3 scoreless innings of work to earn the win. He retired 12 out of the first 13 batters he faced before an error and single started a dangerous bottom of the eighth for the Dons. Palomar teammate, Angel Barron came in and left those two baserunners on to end the threat. From there, Jude Atley struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the Comet win for his first save of the season.

SAC reliever Travis Bergmann did an outstanding job of shutting down the Comets over the final 6 2/3 innings, holding Palomar to just two hits over that span with three walks and four strikeouts.

Rodda finished the afternoon going 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Palomar bats.

The Comets are now just one win away from their first-ever baseball state championship in program history. A baseball title will also match Palomar's softball state crown, which will be the first dual championship in those two sports since Cypress College pulled off the daily double back in 1987.

Courtesy of Tony Altobelli, CCCSIA