Fisher lands whopper on first cast

The Saddleback softball team opened the 2025 campaign with a 4-2 over Palomar College on Wednesday in San Marcos.  The Bobcats gave new head coach Krysten Fisher a win over the No. 3 ranked Comets to open the season.

A new era began for the softball program on Wednesday, and it couldn't have had a bigger start.  Saddleback faced perennial power Palomar to open the season, who came into the matchup with a lofty ranking and a 1-0 record.  Palomar had played in four of the past five state tournaments and was the top seed from Southern California last season, so the Bobcats were considered a heavy underdog heading into the matchup.  The Bobcats had different ideas, however, and never looked intimidated.

Saddleback took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning when Cristen Areopagita and Ka'ui Garcia had back-to-back doubles to open the scoring.  The Bobcats upped the lead to 2-0 in the top half of the fifth inning when Malia Garcia singled home Ka'ui Garcia for a 2-0 advantage.

Palomar tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom half of the fifth inning when the Comets had a pair of hits and took advantage of a couple of walks.  Saddleback didn't budge, responding with two runs of their own in the top half of the sixth inning to grab back the lead.  Again it was Ka'ui Garcia in the middle of things, doubling home Areopagita with the go-ahead run and then scoring on a single from Macy Smith as the Cats took a 4-2 lead.

Alexa Pfutzenreuter started on the mound and pitched through the fifth inning in winning her first game of the season.  Pfutzenreuter gave way to Smith, who pitched the final two innings in earning her first save of the season.

Ka'ui Garcia finished 4-for-4 with two runs-scored and two RBI to start her collegiate career.  Smith finished 3-for-4 as the Bobcats rapped out 13 hits in the game.

Saddleback will look to improve to 2-0 on Friday when it hosts Southwestern College.  The Bobcats and Jaguars are scheduled to start at 11:00 AM at the Saddleback Softball Complex.