Palomar College Baseball

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Palomar College
1140 W. Mission Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 744-1150 Ext. 2460
FAX (760) 761-3512
Athletic Director:
John Woods

Schedule

Sat., May 13

Baseball: Rio Hondo, State Community College Championships, Southern California Regionals first-round, Myers Field, 1 p.m.

Sun., May 14

Baseball: Rio Honda, State Community College Championships, Southern California Regionals first-round, Myers Field, 11 a.m. (third game, if necessary, to follow)

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2005 | 2004 Stats | 2004 | 2004 Stats | 2003 | 2003 Stats | 2002 | 2001 | 2001 Stats | 2000

CLICK HERE FOR 2006 ROSTER; THEN ON NAME FOR UPDATED BIO

Padres draft Cates in 30th round;

ex-Comet Clipp to Cubs in 33rd

The San Diego Padres selected Palomar College right-handed pitcher Joe Cates (right) as their 30th-round pick in the 2006 draft on Wednesday, June 7. The Chicago Cubs drafted right-handed pitcher Brad Clipp, a former Comet and a senior at Point Loma Nazarene University, in the 33rd round.

Cates, a freshman from Hemet, was 2-0 for the Comets during the 2006 season with a 4.32 ERA, striking out 17 batters in 25 innings. He was Most Valuable Player of the 2005 Riverside County All-Star Game pitching for Hemet High School.

Two more Palomar baseball players sign;

List of 2006 Comets moving on reaches 16

Two more Palomar baseball players have signed with four-year colleges, bringing the list of 2006 Comets moving on to four-year and/ or pro baseball to 16.

Right-handed pitcher Jose Hernandez (left) signed with NCAA Division II Cal State San Bernardino and left-handed pitcher Clint Preisendorfer signed with NAIA San Diego Christian.

Hernandez was 3-2 for the 2006 Comets with a 1.66 ERA. He went 2-0 in the Pacific Coast Conference with a 1.59 ERA. Preisendorfer had a a 2.25 conference ERA.

Hernandez was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round in 2003. Preisendorfer was drafted by the Yankees in the 32nd round in 2004 and the 31st round in 2005.

2006 Comets who have either signed letters of intent with four-year colleges or have signed pro contracts as of July 13:

RHP Andres Esquibel, University of Kansas (D-I)
OF Gordon Stevens, University of Connecticut (D-I)
INF Jeff Tezak, Santa Clara University (D-I)
C Kurt Wideman, University of the Pacific (D-I)
RHP Keith Noe, Coastal Carolina University (D-I)
RHP Keven Wilson, Cal State San Bernardino (D-II)
RHP Theron Cueva, Cal State San Bernardino (D-II)
RHP Adam Duncan, Cal State San Bernardino (D-II)
RHP Jose Hernandez, Cal State San Bernardino (D-II)
LHP Eric Meyerholtz, Cal State San Bernardino (D-II)
1B Cameron Penney, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (NAIA)
OF Tyler Perkins, San Diego Christian College (NAIA)
RHP Bryan Duffy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (NAIA)
OF Danny Flannery, San Diego Christian College (NAIA)
LHP Clint Preisendorfer, San Diego Christian College (NAIA)
OF Lyndon Poole, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ex-Comet OF Schmidt makes memborable

return to professional baseball with Fullerton

Former Palomar right fielder Jesse Schmidt has returned to pro baseball with a bang.

A 10th-round draft choice by the San Francisco Giants out of Sacramento State (left) in 2003, Schmidt has made his debut with the Fullerton Flyers of the Independent Golden State League a memorable one.

Schmidt, who also played in the Chicago Cubs organization, signed with the Flyers on July 20 and enters his second week with the club batting .462 with a double, a triple and four RBIs.

On Saturday, he went 3-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the Flyers to a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Surf Dawgs. He came back Sunday to go 2-5 with an RBI in a 10-7 loss to the Surf Dawgs.

The 15 former Palomar players currently in professional baseball, with four-year colleges listed (if applicable):

Major League pitching coach Darren Balsley, San Diego Padres
INF Gera Alvarez (Texas Tech) has three home runs and 22 RBIs for Bowie, Md. (Baltimore Orioles Organization) in the Class AA Eastern League
OF Scott Robinson has 13 doubles, three home runs and 21 RBIs Salem, NC (Houston Astros organization), Class A Carolina League
INF Skip Adams (Florida International), Lake Elsinore (San Diego Padres organization), Class A California League
RHP Brad Clipp (Point Loma Nazarene), Boise, ID (Chicago Cubs organization), Class A Short-Season Northwest League
OF Lyndon Poole, Vero Beach, FL (Los Angeles Dodgers organization), Rookie Classification Gulf Coast League
C Jacob Guzman, Yuma, AZ, Golden League
OF Jesse Schmidt (Sacramento State), Fullerton, Golden League (Independent) (Independent)
INF Jeff Nettles, batting .282 with 17 doubles, 12 home runs and 45 RBIs Somerset, Mass., Atlantic League (Independent)
INF Joe Ramos (Chico State), Kalamazoo, Mich., Frontier League (Independent)
INF Matt Guiliano (Sioux Falls State), San Angelo, TX, United League (Independent)
OF Garry Templeton (North Carolina A&T), batting .304 with nine doubles, a triple, a home run and 20 RBIs for Fullerton, Golden League (Independent)
LHP Robert Anaya (Chico State), Chico, Golden League (Independent)
C Aaron Mendoza (Cal Poly Pomona), batting .324 with a4 doubles, a home run and 27 RB Is Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Northwest League (Independent)
Independent League minor league pitching coach Will Flynt (Ft. Hays State), Windy City, Frontier League

Noe signs with Coastal Carolina, becomes

fifth 2006 Comet to accept D-I scholarship

Palomar College right-handed pitcher Keith Noe (right) has become the fifth 2006 Comets baseball player to accept a Division I scholarship, signing with Coastal Carolina. Noe, a sophomore from Rancho Buena Vista High, was 1-0 for the Comets with three saves and a 3.29 ERA. He had a 1.04 ERA in Pacific Coast Conference games.

Coastal Carolina, a member of the Big South Conference, recently completed its ninth straight 30-win season. In 2005, the Chanticleers went 50-16 before being eliminated from NCAA post-season play by Arizona State 9-5 in the Tempe Regional.

Previously, right-handed pitcher Andres Esquibel signed with Kansas, outfielder Gordon Stevens with Connecticut, catcher Kurt Wideman with the University of the Pacific and third baseman Jeff Tezak with Santa Clara

Tezak selected All-State, All-American;

Vincent 2nd team All-State, 1st-team All-SoCal

Palomar sophomore third baseman Jeff Tezak (left) has been selected to the community college All-America baseball first team.

Tezak, who batted .364 for the Comets with 16 doubles, a home run, 35 RBIs and 15 stolen bases on 16 attempts, also has been selected first-team all-state by the California Community College Coaches Association. He signed with Santa Clara on May 17.

Red-shirt freshman right-handed pitcher Nick Vincent (right) (9-2, 1.51 ERA) was selected to the all-state second team and All-Southern California first team.

Palomar third baseman Tezak signs to play

for Santa Clara University next two seasons

Jeff Tezak (left), Palomar's All-Pacific Coast Conference third baseman, signed with Santa Clara on Wednesday, May 17.

He became the fourth 2006 Comet to sign with an NCAA Division I school to date. Previously, right-handed pitcher Andres Esquibel signed with Kansas, left fielder Gordon Stevens with Connecticut and catcher Kurt Wideman with the University of the Pacific.

Tezak batted .386 for the Comets during the regular season and was the conference's second-leading hitter behind Grossmont's Sean O'Sullivan, the PCC Player of the Year.

He played a key role as Palomar won its second straight conference title and sixth in the last nine seasons.

Photo by Hugh Gerhardt

Vincent tosses 5-hit shutout to beat Rio Hondo

but Comets fall from Regionals the next day

Nick Vincent threw a five-hit shutout to advance to 9-2 on the season Saturday, May 13, as Palomar opened play in the Southern California Community College Baseball by beating Rio Hondo 1-0 at Myers Field.

Vincent struck out five and walked none, retiring 17 of the last 18 batters he faced, as he won a pitchers' duel from the Roadrunners' Bobby Lafromboise, who pitched a four-hitter and fell to 11-2. It was Vincent's third complete game of the season and his second shutout. The red-shirt freshman right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.51 for 101 innings.

Gordon Stevens singled, advanced on Kurt Wideman's sacrifice bunt and scored on Tim Deering's double into the rightfield corner as the Comets scored the game's only run in the fifth inning.

The Comets were eliminated by the Roadrunners the following day, losing 7-6 in 11 innings and 10-2. Tyler Perkins went 2-for-6 with a triple for the Comets in the first game but Rio Hondo evened the teams' playoff series at a game apiece. Starter Andres Esquibel pitched six innings of five-hit ball, surrendering one run. Jose Hernandez threw two innings of shutout relief ball. The Roadrunners, trailing 6-1, scored five runs in the ninth inning to tie the game and won on an unearned run in the 11th. Nick Burke went 3-for-3 with a double for Palomar. Cameron Penney and Danny Flannery drove in the Comets' runs. Rio Hondo advanced to 35-10 while Palomar finished the season 31-16.

Photo: Nick Vincent gets congratulated after five-hit shutout victory over Rio Hondo. -- Photo by Tom Saxe

6 Comets named to All-PCC first team;

Taylor is unanimous Coach of Year pick

Six Palomar baseball players were voted to the All-Pacific Coast Conference first team in baseball Monday, May 7, by conference coaches, and the Comets' Buck Taylor was selected conference Coach of the Year. This season, Taylor became the first baseball coach in the PCC's 24-year history to win the conference championship in his first season.

Taylor was a unanimous selection.

Palomar players named to the first team were freshman right-handed pitcher Nick Vincent (right), freshman catcher Zane Chavez, sophomore first baseman Cameron Penney (left), sophomore third baseman Jeff Tezak, sophomore center fielder Tyler Perkins and sophomore left fielder Gordon Stevens.

Vincent was runner-up to Grossmont pitcher/designated hitter Sean O'Sullivan for Player of the Year honors.

Five Comets received honorable mention -- freshman right fielder Ben Caple, sophomore right-handed pitcher Andres Esquibel, sophomore right-handed pitcher Kevin Wilson, sophomore right-handed relief pitcher Jose Hernandez and freshman shortstop Ricky Imperiali.

Photo: Buck Taylor is the first coach in the history of the Pacific Coast Conference to win a conference championship in his rookie season. -- Photo by Hugh Gerhardt

Esquibel, Comets capture title outright

with a 4-1 victory over San Diego Mesa

Andres Esquibel pitched four-hit ball through eight innings on Thursday, May 4, advancing to 8-4, and Palomar (30-14, 18-7) won its second straight outright Pacific Coast Conference baseball championship, beating San Diego Mesa 4-1 at Myers Field.

Gordon Stevens broke a scoreless tie with a two-run home run to right field in the fourth inning and the Comets added two more runs on Nick Burke's suicide squeeze bunt in the sixth inning and Zane Chavez' sacrifice fly in the eighth. Cameron Penney went 2-for-3.

Closer Keith Noe, who had been clocked at 94 and 93 mph in his two previous appearances, came on to pitch a 1-2-3 ninth inning to notch his third save.

Palomar has won six conference titles in the last nine years. Buck Taylor is the first rookie head coach in PCC history to win the conference title.

Photo: Zane Chavez follows through on sixth-inning double. -- Photo by Hugh Gerhardt

Palomar falls 8-5 after leading Mesa 5-0

Palomarsat on a 5-0 second-inning lead and it came back to haunt the the Comets in a Pacific Coast Conference game Tuesday, May 2, in San Diego as the Olympians rallied for an 8-5 win.

Tim Deering (right) went 3-for-4 for Palomar (29-14, 17-7). Andrew Hayashi was 2-for-5 with a double.

The Comets, who previously clinched at least a title tie, missed an opportunity to clinch the outright PCC championship.

Imperiali (3-for-3), Comets clinch at least a tie

Palomar, getting six strong innings from starter and winning pitcher Kevin Wilson (left) and a 3-for-3 outing from shortstop Ricky Imperiali (right), clinched no worse than a tie for its sixth Pacific Coast Conference baseball title in nine years on Saturday, April 29.

Wilson advanced to 5-2 by scattering five hits in six innings as the Comets (29-13, 17-6) beat second-place San Diego City College 10-3 at Myers Field. One more Palomar victory or City loss the final two days of the season would give Palomar the title outright.

Imperiali had a double, two singles and two RBIs, one of them on a fourth-inning safety squeeze, in his 3-for-3 performance. Gordon Stevens (2-for-3, RBI, suicide squeeze, two steals) and Nick Burke (2-for-4, RBI, steal) also had multiple hits. Jeff Tezak gave the Comets the lead for good with a third-inning sacrifice fly, two walks, a hit by pitch, two RBIs and two steals. Tyler Perkins made a spectacular running catch against the fence up the bank in center field in the ninth inning.

Andres Esquibel delivers pitch against San Diego City. -- Photo by Hugh Gerhardt

Comets fall but one win from PCC title

Palomar moved to within one win of clinching at least a tie for the Pacific Coast Conference championship despite falling 6-2 to San Diego City College at Morley Field in San Diego on Thursday, April 27. Zane Chavez went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and Tyler Perkins , returning to the lineup after an elbow injury, was 2-for-3.

But their performances weren't enough as the Comets slipped to 28-13 on the season, 16-6 in conference.

Wideman signs letter of intent with UOP

Catcher Kurt Wideman (right) has become the third 2005 Palomar baseball player to accept a scholarship to an NCAA Division I program, signing with the University of the Pacific.

UOP is a member of the Big West Conference.

Wideman, a red-shirt freshman who prepped at Fallbrook High School, is batting .263 for the Comets with 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 22 runs batted in.

Earlier, right-handed pitcher Andres Esquibel (Vista High School) signed with the University of Kansas and outfielder Gordon Stevens (Vista High) signed with the University of Connecticut.

Palomar awaits big game at City College

Palomar wasted strong pitching performances from Nick Vincent, who threw the first eight innings, and Keith Noe but dropped ad 2-1 decision to Southwestern on Tuesday at Myers Field.

The Comets lost for the third time in a row for the first time since February 2003 but still lead the Pacific Coast Conference by two games with four to play.

Vincent, fell to 8-2 and lost for the first time since March 3. Noe had 3 strikeouts in the ninth inning. Palomar managed only five hits in support of Vincent and Noe.

Andrew Hayashi (right) went 2-for-4 and drove in the Palomar run with a single in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch-hitter Lyndon Poole doubled and scored the run. The Comets left the bases loaded in the inning.

The Comets (28-12, 16-5) visit San Diego City College, which is tied for second with Southwestern, on Thursday at 2 p.m. at Morley Field in San Diego.

Palomar shut out 1st time in 79 games

Palomar was shut out for the first time in 79 games -- the first time since being blanked by Cypress on Feb. 14, 2005 -- 3-0 at Southwestern on Saturday, April 22.

Ben Caple singled to lead off the fourth inning and Cameron Penney singled with two out in the ninth for the only Palomar hits off Southwestern left-hander Mike McLaughlin.

Comet starter Kevin Wilson pitched 5-hit ball over 6 2/3 innings, giving up an unearned run and striking out 6.

The Pacific Coast Conference-leading Comets fell to 28-11, 16-4.

Photo: Third baseman Jeff Tezak tags out Southwestern's Nick Monette in the bottom of the eighth inning on throw from left fielder Gordon Stevens. (Photo by Hugh Gerhardt)

Comets waste 15 hits, fall to Griffins

Tyler Perkins (right) (3-for-3, RBI), Nick Burke (2-for-2, double) and Cameron Penney (2-for-4) paced a 15-hit attack for the Comets in a 10-5 Pacific Coast Conference loss to Grossmont on the road on Thursday, April 20.

Palomar (28-10, 16-3) got to Sean O'Sullivan, the Angels' third-round selection in the 2005 draft, for 10 of those hits.

The Comets still lead San Diego City College and Southwestern, who are tied for second, by four games in the Pacific Coast Conference race with six games to play. They lead Grossmont by five games with six to play.

Palomar visits Southwestern at noon Saturday.

Vincent beats Grossmont with 4-hitter

Nick Vincent (file photo, left) threw a complete game four-hitter Tuesday, April 18, and Palomar took another step toward its sixth Pacific Coast Conference baseball title in nine years, beating visiting Grossmont 4-1.

Vincent struck out seven and walked one as he ran his record to 8-1 and lowered his earned run average to 1.28 for 77 1/3 innings. He retired the last 12 Grossmont batters, including five of the last six by strikeouts.

Vincent won a pitchers' duel from the Griffins' John Lowe, who also entered the game with a 7-1 record.

State RBI leader Zane Chavez drove in the game's first run with a single in the bottom of the first inning. Grossmont tied the game in the top of the fifth, but the Comets came back to score three runs in the bottom of the inning when Tim Deering reached base as a hit batter, Ricky Imperiali doubled, Tyler Perkins (2-for-4) singled to drive in a run, Jeff Tezak drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Ben Caple drove in a run with on a squeeze play.

The Comets advanced to 28-9 on the season, 16-2 in conference while the Griffins fell to 21-14 and 10-8.

Palomar awaits Grossmont series

Palomar, which leads second-place San Diego City College by four games and is five up on Grossmont and Southwestern in the Pacific Coast Conference baseball race with eight games to play, is awaiting a crucial two-game series with the Griffins this upcoming week.

The Comets and Griffins will play Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Palomar and Thursday at the same time at Grossmont. The Comets can eliminate the Griffins from the race by sweeping the series.

Palomar (27-9) suffered a heart-breaking 3-2 loss to Chaffey (22-13) in the final game of the Palomar Easter Series Thursday, April 13, at Myers Field after bombing Mt. San Jacinto 15-1 earlier in the day (right).

Nick Burke went 3-for-4 with a double to lead Palomar at the plate. Jeff Tezak (2-for-5, double, RBI), Ben Caple (2-for-5) and Tim Deering (2-for-5) had multiple hits as the Comets out-hit the Panthers 11-8. State RBI leader Zane Chavez drove in his 51st run of the season with a fourth-inning single. Palomar stranded 12 runners, 10 in scoring position and six of those in the final three innings.

The Comets got outstanding pitching from starter Andres Esquibel (seven innings, five hits, no earned runs) and reliever Jose Hernandez (left) (four innings, three hits, one run) in defeat. Hernandez retired the first nine batters he faced.

Chavez (4-for-4), Palomar roll 15-1

Zane Chavez left) went 4-for-5 and drove in his 49th and 50th runs of the season Thursday morning, April 13, as the Comets (27-8) won their first oftwo games during the day in the Palomar Easter Series, blasting Mt. San Jacinto 15-1 at Myers Field.

Cameron Penney (right) was 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Ricky Imperiali went 3-for-4, doubled and drove in a run.

Starter and winner Theron Cueva (2-0), Adam Duncan and Eric Meyerholtz combined to throw a 5-hitter.

Comets score 10 but lose by one run

After a bizarre 11-10, ninth-inning loss against Mt. San Jacinto on Wednesday, Palomar will try to get back on track on Thursday, April 13, when the Comets play their final two games in the Palomar Easter Series.

The Pacific Coast Conference leaders, who saw a six-game win streak snapped and fell to 26-8 with Wednesday's loss, play a rematch against Mt. San Jacinto (8-23) at 10 a.m., then face Foothill Conference leader Chaffey at 2 p.m., both at Myers Field.

Jeff Tezak (3-for-5, home run, double, two steals, three RBIs) led a 14-hit attack in defeat Wednesday for the Comets, who lost to the Eagles for the first time in history. Gordon Stevens (3-for-5, double, RBI), Tyler Perkins (3-for-4, RBI, two steals) and Ben Caple (3-for-5, RBI) also had multiple-hit performances for Palomar.

Mt. San Jacinto avenged an earlier 12-1 loss to the Comets.

Sophomore right-hander Theron Cueva (1-0, 2.00 earned run average over nine innings) will get his first start of the season against the Eagles in today's 10 a.m. game, which will be broad cast live on KKSM-1320 AM radio and on the world-web at http://www.palomar.edu/kksm/live.html. Sophomore right-hander Andres Esquibel (7-2, 2.48 ERA for 65 1/3 innings) will start the 2 p.m. game vs. Chaffey.

Vincent notches 7th win of season

Starter Nick Vincent (right) pitched two-hit ball over seven innings, giving up one run, as Palomar's baseball team turned back visiting Orange Coast 4-2 on Tuesday, April 11, on the opening day of the Palomar Easter Series. Vincent ran his record to 7-1 and owns a 1.32 ERA over 68 1/3 innings.

Ben Caple put Palomar (26-7) up 2-0 with a two-run single in the fourth inning and the Comets led the rest of the way, notching their sixth straight victory and 14th win in their last 15 games. The game matched two 2005 state tournament Final Four teams. Zane Chavez (2-for-3, double) and Cameron Penney (2-for-4, RBI) had multiple-hit games.

Chavez (4-for-7), Caple (3-3) lead Palomar

Palomar upped its lead in the Pacific Coast Conference race to 4 1/2 games over Grossmont and San Diego City College, blasting Imperial Valley 17-3 on the road on Thursday, April 6.

Starting pitcher Andres Esquibel struck out seven batters in five innings to advance to 7-2 on the year and Zane Chavez (left) went 4-for-7 with two RBIs as the Comets ran their win streak to 5 games. Palomar's 25 wins is the best in the state, and Chavez leads the state with 47 RBIs.

Ben Caple went 3-for-3 and drove in a run for the Comets (25-7 overall, 15-2 to lead the conference by 4 1/2 games). Theron Cueva threw 3 innings of 1-hit shutout relief ball and James McLaughlin retired the Arabs 1-2-3 in the ninth.

Imperiali, Flannery, Vincent lead way

Starter Nick Vincent, who earlier in the day was named Pacific Coast Conference Men's Athlete of the Week, and five relievers combined to throw a two-hit shutout and Palomar's conference leaders downed Imperial Valley 8-0 on Tuesday, April 4, at Myers Field.

It was the second straight shutout Vincent (6-1) has been involved in. He blanked second-place San Diego City College 5-0 with a complete-game seven-hitter last week. Tuesday, he pitched one-hit ball over five innings, striking out five and walking none.

Ronnie Loeffler, Jeff Ibarra, Bryan Duffy and Ricky Norton combined to strike out five more batters in relief. Ricky Imperiali (left, 3-for-4, two doubles, two RBIs) and Danny Flannery (right, 3-for-5, double, two RBIs) paced a 10-hit attack offensively.

Palomar (24-7, 14-2) won for the 12th time in 13 games and will visit Imperial Valley on Thursday at 2 p.m.

Wilson, Palomar trip Mesa 8-1.

Kevin Wilson (right) surrendered 1 run in 6 innings, striking out 5 and walking none, as Palomar's Pacific Coast Conference leaders won for the 11th time in their last 12 games on Saturday, April 1, pounding host San Diego Mesa 8-1.

James McLaughlin, Clint Preisendorfer and Adam Duncan each threw an inning of shutout relief.

Jeff Tezak (2-for-5, 2 RBIs), Jason Ednoff (2-for-4, double, 2 RBIs), Trevor Boucher (2-for-3, RBI) and Tyler Perkins (double, 2 walks, 2 stolen bases) paced a 10-hit attack.

Palomar advanced to 23-7 on the season and 12-2 in conference.

Tezak 3-for-3, 3 steals lead Comets

Andres Esquibel threw eight innings of six-hit ball, surrendering a single unearned run, and Jeff Tezak (left) went 3-for-3 as Palomar won for the 10th time in its last 11 baseball games Thursday, March 30, at Myers Field, 6-1 over San Diego Mesa. Esquibel ran his win-loss record to 6-2.

Keith Noe (right) came into retire the side 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth.

Tezak also walked twice, drove in two runs and stole three bases as the Comets advanced to 22-7 on the season, 12-2 in conference. Gordon Stevens went 2-for-4 with a double and Zane Chavez slugged his ninth home run, a two-run shot in the seventh inning that ran his RBI total to 45, which leads the state.

The Comets visit the Olympians on Saturday at noon.

Vincent shuts out Knights 5-0

Nick Vincent (left) threw a seven-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking none, as Palomar's baseball team downed host San Diego City College 5-0 on Tuesday at Morley Field in San Diego.

Vincent advanced to 5-1 on the season and the defending champion and first-place Comets (21-7, 11-2) took a two-game lead over the second-place Knights (15-11, 9-4) in the Pacific Coast Conference race.

Catcher Zane Chavez (right), who leads the state with 42 RBIs, went 2-for-5 with a triple and drove three runs to pace a nine-hit attack for Palomar.

The Comets took a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning when Jeff Tezak walked, stole second and scored on Chavez' single. Palomar tallied four more runs in the eighth on Tezak's two-out, opposite-field double down the rightfield line, a wild pitch, an intentional walk to Kurt Wideman, Chavez' two-run triple to left, a walk to Ben Caple and back-to-back RBI singles by Joey Fandel and Cameron Penney.

The Comets stole six bases, led by Caple with two thefts.

Palomar hosts San Diego Mesa on Thursday at 2 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast live on KKSM-AM 1320 radio and on the world-wide web at: http://www.palomar.edu/kksm/live.html

Comets see streak snapped at 8

University of Hawaii transfer Ronnie Loeffler (right) was a bright spot in defeat for the Comets, who saw an eight-game win streak snapped as they fell to San Diego City College 7-4 at home on Saturday, March 25.

Loeffler came on to begin the ninth inning and pitched hitless, scoreless ball, striking out two.

But the damage had been done as the visiting Knights closed to within a game of the Pacific Coast Conference leaders.

Ben Caple (left) went 2-for-5 for Palomar (20-7, 10-2) with a double and an RBI.

Andres Esquibel four-hits Southwestern 3-1. (Photos by Hugh Gerhardt)

Esquibel tops Southwestern on 4-hitter

Andres Esquibel threw a complete-game four-hitter and Kurt Wideman slugged a two-run homer over the left field fence in the fourth inning as first-place Palomar downed host Southwestern 3-1 in a Pacific Coast Conference baseball game Friday.

Esquibel, a sophomore right-handed transfer from San Diego State who has signed with the University of Kansas, struck out seven and walked one in advancing to 5-2 on the season.

Wideman's home run, his fourth of the season, scored Jeff Tezak, aboard on an infield single, ahead of him with two out in the fourth. The Comets added their final run in the seventh inning on Ben Caple's single, Gordon Stevens' fielder's choice and Trevor Boucher's RBI single to left that scored Stevens (right). Stevens tripled with two down in the top of the ninth but was left stranded.

Palomar (20-6, 10-1) ran its win streak to eight games and has won 11 of its last 12. The Comets host second-place San Diego City College, which is 8-3 in conference, on Saturday at noon in a game that will be broadcast live on KKSM 1320-AM radio and on the world-wide web at: http://www.palomar.edu/kksm/live.html


Nick Vincent	Jose Hernandez	Jeff Tezak	Joey Fandel	Lyndon Poole

Vincent's, Hernandez' pitching lift Comets

Jeff Tezak sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning scored pinch-runner Lyndon Poole to give first-place Palomar a 2-1 Pacific Coast Conference victory over Southwestern on Thursday at Myers Field.

Pinch-hitter Joey Fandel drew a walk to lead off the inning. After a two-base throwing error on a pickoff attempt back-to-back intentional walks to Ricky Imperiali and Tyler Perkins and a fielder's choice grounder that cut down Fandel at the plate, Tezak lofted a fly ball to right field which scored Poole, running for Imperiali, with the winning run.

Three Palomar pitchers combined to halt the Jaguars on five hits. Starter Nick Vincent gave up one run on four hits, striking out six batters, in six innings. Jose Hernandez (3-1), the third Comets pitcher of the afternoon, came on to get the last batter in the seventh inning and threw 3 1/3 innings of one-hit, shutout ball to record the victory.

It was the fourth time Palomar has left a visiting opponent standing at Myers Field this season. The Comets previously defeated Santa Ana, Cerritos and Grossmont in the bottom of the ninth at home.

The Comets (19-6, 9-1), who have won seven games in a row and 10 of their last 11, will visit Southwestern in a rain make-up today at 2 p.m., then will host San Diego City College on Saturday at noon.


Jason Ednoff	Joey Fandel	Cameron Penney	Clint Preisendorfer	Keith Noe

Comets take windy 17-13 win

Palomar ended last week alone in first place in the Pacific Coast Conference baseball race and two games ahead of second-place San Diego City College, holding off Imperial Valley 17-13 on a windy afternoon in the desert on Friday, March 17.

The Comets ran their win streak to six games. They've won nine of their last 10 games and are 18-6 on the season, 8-1 in conference.

Jason Ednoff (3-for-6, triple, double, three RBIs), C (3-for-6, two doubles, RBI) and Cameron Penney (3-for-6, two RBIs) paced a 17-hit attack for Palomar. Penney has hit safely 15 times in his last 23 at-bats.

Zane Chavez (2-for-5, eighth home run of the season, four RBIs), Lyndon Poole (2-for-3, home run, two RBIs, four times on base as a hit better) and Gordon Stevens (2-for-6, triple) also had multiple hits for the Comets.

Clint Preisendorfer, the third of four Palomar pitchers, turned his his best performance of the season, throwing 5 2/3 innings and surrendering two runs on two hits. Keith Noe came on to retire the game's final batter and record the save.

The Comets were rained out of their scheduled game at Southwestern on Tuesday, March 21. The teams will make up the game Friday.

Palomar now will play three games on consecutive days, hosting the Jaguars on Thursday at 2 p.m., visiting the Jags at the same time Friday, then hosting second-place San Diego City College on Saturday at noon. The Thursday and Saturday games will be broadcast live on KKSM-AM 1320, on Cox Cable channel 958 and on the world-wide web. World-Wide Web live broadcast


Cameron Penney	Jeff Tezak	Nick Burke	Nick Vincent	Kevin Wilson

Palomar gives Vincent 4th win

Palomar's Pacific Coast Conference baseball leaders defeated Grossmont for the second time in three days Thursday, beating the Griffins 6-4 at Grossmont's Noel Mickelsen Field.

Winning pitcher Nick Vincent (4-1) pitched 6 1/3 innings of five-hit ball, striking out four and walking none, and left the game with one out in the seventh with a 6-2 lead. Kevin Wilson came in and struck out seven Grossmont batters in 2 2/3 innings.

Nick Burke (2-for-4, triple, three RBIs), Cameron Penney (2-for-4, double, RBI), Jeff Tezak (2-for-4, double) and Kurt Wideman (2-for-5, RBI) paced an 11-hit attack for Palomar. Penney has hit safely 12 times in his last 17 at-bats.

Comets (15 hits) top 2nd-place Griffs

Cameron Penney doubled for his third hit of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday, March 14, driving in the tying run, and the winning run scored moments later on a wild pitch, giving Palomar a 6-5 baseball win over visiting Grossmont on Tuesday, March 14.

The victory over the second-place Griffins solidified the defending Pacific Coast Conference champions' hold on first place in the conference.

The Comets (16-6, 6-1 in conference) drove Grossmont starter Sean O'Sullivan, the Angels' third-round draft pick last June, from the game after seven innings after getting to O'Sullivan for 11 hits and his first four earned runs in 34 innings on the season. Penney and Gordon Stevens, who committed to the University of Connecticut earlier, had two-run doubles off O'Sullivan in a four-run third inning.

Penney went 3-for-4 with the double, three RBIs and a walk Palomar banged out 15 hits off three Grossmont pitchers, led by Penney, Jeff Tezak (3-for-5), Tyler Perkins (3-for-5) and (2-for-4, two RBIs) and Stevens (2-for-4, two RBIs).

The Griffins came back to take a 5-4 lead, but the Comets scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to leave them standing. Joey Fandel walked with one out and was safe at second on an error on Ben Caple's fielder's choice. Penney's opposite-field double to right scored Fandel with the tying run and moved pinch-runner Lyndon Poole to third. After am intentional walk to Tim Deering loaded the bases, Poole scored the winning run on the wild pitch.

Jose Hernandez (above left), the third Palomar pitcher of the day, threw 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out three and walking none, to notch the victory and advance to 2-1 on the season.

The Comets, who have won four straight games and seven of their last eight, will visit the Griffins at 2 p.m. Thursday, then will play a rain make-up at Imperial Valley on Friday at the same time.

4 Comets team to throw 1-hitter

Nick Vincent, Ricky Norton, Jeff Ibarra and Keith Noe combined to throw a one-hitter, striking out 10 and walking 1, as Palomar (15-6 overall, 5-1 Pacific Coast Conference) beat Imperial Valley 12-1 on Myers Field on Thursday, March 9.

Vincent (right) threw six innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts to advance to 3-1 on the season. Noe struck out the side in the ninth.

Jeff Tezak (left) paced an 18-hit attack, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Zane Chavez (2-5, two doubles, three RBIs), Danny Pieczynski (2-5, double, two RBIs) and Gordon Stevens (2-3, double) also had multiple hits.

Kurt Wideman slugged his third home run of the season, a two-run shot in the second inning that gave the Comets an 8-0 lead..

Palomar won for the sixth time in its last seven games.

Esquibel, Penney pace 5-1 win

Cameron Penney (right) went 3-for-4 and drove in 2 runs in support of winning pitcher Andres Esquibel (left, 7 1/3 innings, 2 hits, 1 run) as Palomar downed visiting San Diego Mesa 5-1 on Tuesday, March 7.

Third baseman Jeff Tezak singled to drive in a run, walked, stole a base and made a diving catch of a pop-up in front of the bag in foul territory in the ninth inning.

Palomar advanced to 14-6 on the season, 4-1 in the Pacific Coast Conference and remained in a tie for first place with Grossmont.

Palomar will play host to Imperial Valley on Thursday at 2 p.m. The Comets then will go on the road to face the Arabs at Imperial on Saturday. That game is slated for noon.

Kevin Wilson delivers pitch to San Diego City College's Mike Reynolds . -- Photo by Hugh Gerhardt

Comets regain tie for first

Kurt Wideman (left) and Cameron Penney (right)each went 4-for-5 and Palomar banged out 21 hits to bury San Diego City College 16-3 in a Pacific Coast Conference game Saturday, March 4 at Morley Field in San Diego.

The victory puts the Comets (13-4, 3-1) back into a tie for first place in the conference with Grossmont, which was upset 4-3 by Southwestern.

Palomar starter Kevin Wilson (3-1) threw six innings of three-hit ball, giving up one run, striking out six and walking one.

Wideman slugged a solo home run over the leftfield fence in the third inning, dubled in the fourth, singled to drive two runs in the fifth and doubled in the seventh. Penney singled in the second inning, doubled to drive in two runs in the fourth and singled again in both the sixth and seventh.

Tyler Perkins went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and 2 stolen bases.

Palomar coach Buck Taylor used 20 players in the game. The Comets host San Diego Mesa on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Palomar drops pitchers' duel

Grossmont College overcame a strong pitching performance by Palomar starter Nick Vincent to down Palomar 2-1 in a Pacific Coast Conference match-up played in intermittent rain Friday, March 3, at Grossmont.

The Griffins' Sean O'Sullivan, the Kansas City Royals' third-round pick in the 2005 draft, won a pitching duel from Vincent (right), who threw the first six innings, giving up 1 earned run and striking out six.

Ben Caple went 2-for-4 and drove in the Comets' run with a sixth-inning single.

Tyler Perkins and Kurt Wideman each doubled and walked for Palomar.

Comets roll 11-1, face Griffs

Andres Esquibel (right) pitched six innings of five-hit ball with no earned runs, seven strikeouts and one walk and Zane Chavez clubbed his seventh home run as Palomar routed visiting Southwestern 11-1 in a Pacific Coast Conference game on Thursday.

The win set up a showdown for the early Pacific Coast Conference lead Friday, March 3, vs. Grossmont on the road. Palomar's Nick Vincent (2-0, 1.57 ERA) will pitch against the Griffins' Sean O'Sullivan 2-1, 0.00 ERA), the Angels' third-round draft pick last June.

Clint Preisendorfer, James McLaughlin and Ricky Norton each pitched an dinning of shutout ball in relief of Esquibel. Jeff Tezak (3-for-4, double, RBI), Ben Caple (3-4, RBI), Chavez (2-5, HR, four RBIs), Gordon Stevens (2-4, triple, RBI) and Cameron Penney (2-5, RBI) had multiple-hit games as the Comets banged out 16 hits.

Caple, with a leaping catch in right field, and Tyler Perkins, with a diving catch in center, made huge defensive plays in back of Esquibel early on.

Palomar, second in the state tournament last season, takes records of 12-5 overall and 2-0 in conference against Grossmont (12-4, 2-0) in today's rain make-up. The game is slated for 2 p.m. at the Griffins' Noel Mickelsen Field. The Comets will go on the road to play San Diego City College on Saturday at noon at Morley Field in Balboa Park.

Cates, Chavez lead Comets 12-1

Freshman right-hander Joe Cates (right) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball with no earned runs, seven strikeouts and two walks Saturday, Feb. 25, as Palomar opened defense of its Pacific Coast Conference baseball championship with a 12-1 romp over visiting Imperial Valley.

Clint Preisendorfer and Theron Cueva each followed Cates to the mound with an inning of shutout relief.

Zane Chavez, a 19th-round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals last June, went 2-for-4 for Palomar (11-5, 1-0 conference) with a grand-slam home run, his sixth homer of the season, and five RBIs.

Cameron Penney went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Tyler Perkins drove in threee runs with a single and a sacrifice fly and Jason Ednoff had a two-run single.

The Comets were rained out at Grossmont on Tuesday and will make up the game this Friday at Grossmont at 2 p.m. The game will be sandwiched between regular-season games against Southwestern at home on Thursday at 2 p.m. and vs. San Diego City College at Morley Field in San Diego on Saturday at noon.

Palomar wins 12-1, opens PCC

Starting pitcher Kevin Wilson threw 5 innings of 3-hit, shutout ball, striking out 5 and walking 1, as visiting Palomar beat Mt. San Jacinto 12-1 on the road Thursday, advancing to 10-5 on the season entering Saturday's Pacific Coast Conference opener vs. Imperial Valley at noon at Myers Field.

Wilson and relievers Jeff Ibarra, Adam Duncan, Keith Noe and Ronnie Loeffler combined on a 5-hitter, striking out 10 and walking 2. Duncan, Noe and Loeffler each worked an inning of shutout, hitless relief.

Kurt Wideman (right, 3-for-3, 3-run double), Zane Chavez (2-run home run, his fifth of the season), Jeff Tezak (2-for-3, double, RBI) and Cameron Penney (2-for-4, RBI) paced a 13-hit attack for Palomar.

Comets edged 5-4 on road

Defending Orange Empire Conference champion Orange Coast came from behind to edge defending Pacific Coast Conference champion Palomar on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Costa Mesa in a battle of two state Final Four teams from 2005.

Nick Burke went 3-for-4 for Palomar with two RBIs and a steal. Kurt Wideman (No. 9, right) was 2-4 with a walk.

Coast took its first lead of the day by scoring a run in the bottom of the eighth to break a 4-4 tie and it stood up for the victory. Two of the Pirates' runs were unearned.

OCC advanced to 11-2 while Palomar will take a 9-5 record into a road game at Mt. San Jacinto on Thursday at 2 p.m. The Comets open Pacific Coast Conference play Saturday vs. Imperial Valley at home at noon.

Palomar avenges Pierce loss 12-4

Palomar supported winning pitcher Nick Vincent (right) with a 16-hit attack and snapped Los Angeles Pierce's unbeaten streak at nine games on the final day of the Comet Invitational Saturday, Feb. 18.

Jeff Tezak went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI to conclude a 9-for-16 week. Gordon Stevens was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Ricky Imperiali went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs, and Tyler Perkins was 2-for-5. Vincent pitched 7 1/3 innings to advance to 2-0.

The Comets avenged a loss to Los Angeles Pierce on Thursday.

Palomar advanced to 9-4, while Pierce fell to 11-4-1.

Comets' rally falls short 7-5

After starting the season 8-2, Palomar has banged out 27 hits in its previous two games but lost them both, falling to Cerro Coso 7-5 Friday morning, Feb. 17, in the Comet Invitational.

Trailing 7-2 in the ninth inning, Palomar rallied for three runs with two outs on Cameron Penney's single, Jeff Tezak's run-scoring double and a two-run home run, his fourth of the year, by 19th-round Kansas City Royals draft pick Zane Chavez (2-for-5, HR, double, three RBIs).

But, with runners on first and second and the winning run at the plate, the Coyotes' third pitcher of the day got the final out on a pop-up to the second baseman. T

Tezak, Nick Burke and Ricky Imperiali had 2 hits each for the Comets (8-4).

Comets out-hit Pierce, lose

Palomar, led by Zane Chavez (4-for-5, double, RBI) out-hit visiting Los Angeles Pierce 15-14 Thursday, Feb. 16, only to lose 15-4 in the Comet Invitational. The Comets self-destructed by making a season-high six errors and leaving runners in scoring position. Palomar had made only four errors in its previous 37 innings.

Chavez was a 19th-round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals last June. Gordon Stevens was 3-for-3 for the Comets, and Jason Ednoff was 3-4.

Pitcher Miguel Cuevas, a 6-foot-9 right-hander from the Dominican Republic who has been clocked at 95 miles per hour and is considered Pierce's best pitching prospect since Barry Zito played for the Brahma Bulls, spotted the Comets a 2-0 lead in the first, then shut them out until leaving the game with one out in the seventh. Palomar wasted 10 hits against Cuevas.

The Comets host Cerro Coso Friday at 10 a.m., then get a rematch with Pierce on Saturday at 2 p.m., both at Myers Field. Pierce advanced to 10-3, while Palomar fell to 8-3.

Palomar avenges Saturday loss

Palomar opened play in the Comet Invitational on Wednesday, Feb. 15, by taking a 6-1 lead into the ninth inning and beating Mt. SAC 6-3 to avenge Saturday night's 3-2, ninth-inning loss to the Mounties on the road.

Trevor Boucher (right) paced a 10-hit attack by going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. ZaneChavez went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jeff Tezak was 2-for-3.

The Comets (8-2 on the season) put together singles by Cameron Penney, Tezak, Kurt Wideman, Chavez and Boucher with Ben Caple's sacrifice fly to break a scoreless tie with a 4-run sixth inning. Palomar added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on Chavez' single, Caple's sacrifice bunt, Gordon Chavez' triple and Andrew Hayashi's squeeze bunt.

Palomar starter Joe Cates pitched 5 innings of 3-hit, shutout ball. Jose Hernandez got the win in relief and Bryan Duffy struck out 4 and walked 0 in 2 relief innings.

The Comet Invitational continues with Palomar hosting Los Angeles Pierce (Barry Zito's former team) at 2 p.m. Thursday, Cerro Coso at 10 a.m. Friday and Pierce again at 2 p.m. Saturday, all at Myers Field.

Comets get rematch Wednesday

Host Mt. SAC overcame another strong pitching performance by Palomar starter Nick Vincent (6 IP, 5 hits, 1 run), scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Comets 3-2 Saturday night in the final game of the Mt. SAC Tournament.

The Mounties snapped the Comets' 6-game win streak.

Zane Chavez went 2-for-4 and drove in a run for Palomar. Tyler Perkins had a single and an RBI.

Palomar (7-2 with the 2 losses by 1 run reach) host Mt. SAC in a rematch on Wednesday at 2 p.m. to begin the Comets Invitational.

Palomar wins 2 more 7-1, 11-2

Palomar won its fifth and sixth straight baseball games Friday, Feb. 10, at the Mt. SAC Tournament, disposing of Glendale 7-1 and San Bernardino Valley 11-2 to run its record for 2006 to seven wins and one loss.

Right-handed pitcher Andres Esquibel (right), a transfer from San Diego State who has signed with Kansas, threw eight innings of shutout, two-hit ball in the win over Glendale, striking out eight and walking one. Jeff Tezak (left, 3-for-4, three RBIs) and Tyler Perkins (3-for-3, triple, RBI, steal, two walks) paced a 10-hit attack offensively.

In the victory over San Bernardino Valley, sophomore right-hander Kevin Wilson picked up the win by pitching five innings of shutout, four-hit ball, striking out five and walking none. Gordon Stevens was 3-for-3 at the plate. Tezak drove in two more runs, giving him five for the day, by going 1-for-2, walking, and forcing in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

The Comets visit Mt. SAC to conclude the tournament Saturday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m.

Coach Buck Taylor's Palomar then will be off until Wednesday, when it hosts Mt. SAC at 2 p.m. to begin the Comet Invitational Tournament. The Comets also will face Los Angeles Pierce at 2 p.m. Thursday, Cerro Coso at 10 a.m. Friday and L.A. Pierce again at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Theron Cueva pitches in the sixth inning of 10-3 win at Citrus on Friday (Photo by Hugh Gerhardt)

Comets gun down Owls 10-3

Palomar ran its baseball record to 5-1, rocking host Citrus 10-3 in the Mt. SAC Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 9.

The Comets staked starting pitcher and winner Joe Cates to a 9-0 lead after 3 1/2 innings and cruised to victory as Tyler Perkins, Kurt Wideman and Ben Caple each banged out two hits. Wideman drove in two runs. Jeff Tezak had a single and two RBIs. Cameron Penney had a single, sacrifice fly and two RBIs.

Theron Cueva, Eric Meyerholtz and Adam Duncan followed Cates to the mound. Duncan pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, retiring the Owls on five pitches.

Palomar continues play in the tournament with three games at Mt. SAC's field on Friday and Saturday. The Comets face Glendale at 10 a.m. and San Bernardino Valley at 2 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, they play host Mt. SAC at 6 p.m.

Zane Chavez (No. 6, right) gets congratulations after three-run homer in the fourth inning. Jeff Tezak (No. 7) scored just ahead of him. (Photos by Hugh Gearhardt)

Comets top NC No. 2 Sac City 10-3

Pitcher Nick Vincent (right) struck out six batters in 5 2/3 innings, giving up only four hits and a pair of unearned runs, as Palomar ran its baseball record to 4-1 Saturday, Feb. 4, with a 10-3 rout of visiting Sacramento City College.

The Comets broke the game open 10-1 on a three-run triple by Cameron Penney in the third inning and back-to-back home runs by Zane Chavez and Kurt Wideman which highlighted a five-run fourth.

Palomar came in ranked No.4 in Southern California. Sacramento, a five-time state community college champion, came in ranked No. 2 in Northern California.

Vincent showed no signs of an elbow injury that ended his 2005 season and got him a medical red-shirt after he began the year 5-1 with a 1.49.

Wideman was 2-for-3 with a solo homer, double, walk and three runs scored. Jeff Tezak went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Tyler Perkins was 2-for-3 and drove in a run. Chavez' HR, a three-run shot, was his third of the season.

Palomar visits Citrus in the Mt. SAC Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m.

Hayahshi (5-5), Comets win 10-4

Freshman second baseman Andrew Hayashi led the way as Palomar College downed visiting Ventura 10-4 at Meyers Field on Friday, Sept. 3, in its second game in the Palomesa Tournament at Myers Field.

Hayashi went went 5-fo-5 with an RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base as the Comets banged out 17 hits in support of San Diego State transfer Andres Esquibel. Esquibel (1-0) threw the first six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out five. Zane Chavez (2-for-3, 3 RBIs) and Gordon Stevens (2-for-3, RBI) both homered for the Comets. Tyler Perkins and Danny Pieczynski had 2 hits each.

Palomar (3-1) hosts Sacramento City College on Saturday at 11 a.m. Ventura falls to 3-3.

Palomar wins on walk-off HR

Tyler Perkins' three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Palomar College to a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over Cerritos in the Palomesa Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at Myers Field.

Gordon Stevens walked to lead off the inning and Jason Ednoff drew a one-out walk, bring Perkins to the plate. The sophomore center fielder from Campbell High School in Ewa Beach, HI and a transfer from the University of Portland then deposited a Brad Schwarzenbach pitch over the center field fence to leave the Falcons standing.

The HR gave the pitching win to Theron Cueva, the eighth Palomar pitcher of the afternoon, who threw two innings of shutout relief ball.

Jeff Tezak went 3-for-4 with a double for the Comets (2-1). Ben Capel was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Buck Taylor (center) debuts with a victory as Palomar head coach.

Taylor era begins with win

Palomar College's baseball squad, runner-up to champion Santa Rosa in the 2005 California Community College Championships, scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to down visiting Santa Ana 5-4 in its 2006 opener Friday, Jan. 27..

The victory made Buck Taylor a winner in his debut as Palomar head coach. Taylor, formerly Palomar's associate head coach, takes over this season for Bob Vetter, who retired after 542 victories in 25 years as coach of the Comets.

Tim Deering singled through the right side to lead off the Palomar ninth, advanced to second on Tyler Perkins' sacrifice bunt and scored the winning run on an infield error.

The Dons, trailing at one point 4-1, had tied the game with two runs in the top of the ninth.

Cameron Penney (2-for-5, two RBIs) and Jeff Tezak (2-for-4 with an RBI) led Palomar offensively. Starter Nick Vincent and relievers Bryant Duffy and Kevin Wilson pitched Palomar to a 4-2 lead through eight innings, surrendering only one earned run.

Keith Noe, the Comets' closer, recorded the pitching win.

Palomar dropped a 9-8 heartbreaker to visiting Cypress on Saturday. Kurt Weideman went 3-for-4, Penney went 2-for 5 with an RBI, Ben Capel wetnt 2-for-3 with an RBI and Ricky Imperiali was 2-for-5 with a spectacular day defensively at shortstop.

Santa Ana, Cypress and Palomar are ranked 2-3-4 in Southern California by Collegiate Baseball.

Palomar will host Cerritos on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m.

Comets seek 6th title in 9 yrs.

The Palomar College baseball squad, runner-up to Santa Rosa in the 2005 State Community College Baseball Tournament, will seek its sixth Pacific Coast Conference baseball championship in the last nine seasons during 2006 -- with retired coach Bob Vetter's former associate head coach Buck Taylor (right) at the helm.

Taylor, Vetter's hand-picked successor, takes over as head coach this season, his sixth at Palomar after a stint as an assistant coach at San Francisco State University. Vetter retired after the 2005 season after compiling records of 542-393 in 25 years at Palomar and 646-477-7 as a college head coach.

Taylor will field a team that features 12 returnees from last year's Pacific Coast Conference, Regional and Super-Regional championship team (plus one returnee from two years ago). The returnees include All-Pacific Coast Conference selection Cameron Penny at first base and right-handed pitcher Nick Vincent, who started the 2005 season 5-1 before being sidelined by an injury, received a medical redshirt, and will be a redshirt freshman for the Comets. Palomar also has six transfers from NCAA Division I schools and features a strong freshman recruiting class.

Returnee Ben Adams (infield coach), first-year pitching coach Tyler Kincaid and Mike Lord, a former Palomar assistant who returns this season after a stint at head coach at Palm Beach Atlantic College in West Palm Beach, Fla., round out Taylor's regular coaching staff. Kincaid comes to Palomar from San Francisco State University, where he was the Gators' pitching coach. He's the pitching coach for the Chatham A's in the Cape Cod League during the summer.

Former Comet Brian Robinson IS a volunteer assistant coach.

2006 Baseball Schedule and Results

DAY	DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME / RESULT	RADIO World-Wide Web live broadcast	SEASON	PCC
NON-CONFERENCE
Fri	Jan 27	Santa Ana	Home	WON 5-4		1-0
Sat	Jan 28	Cypress	Home	Lost 8-9