It had all the markings of the way Thursday's game came to a conclusion for the Cerritos College baseball team. Leading by two runs, the Falcons needed to register one more out to defeat Mt. San Antonio College in a South Coast Conference game. On Thursday, the Mounties were able to come up with the big hit to win the game with a bases-clearing double. On Saturday at Kincaid Field, the bases were loaded once again, but sophomore closer Elpidio Martin (Lynwood HS) was able to get pinch-hitter Broderick Jenkins to bounce back to the mound for a 6-4 Cerritos win.

The victory, coupled with East Los Angeles College dropping a 3-2 decision to Long Beach City College, have put Cerritos in sole possession of first place in the SCC with three games remaining. The conference will be taking their Spring Break next week, with the Falcons closing out their regular season with a three-game set against ECC Compton Center starting in a week and a half. On Tuesday, the team will travel to Allan Hancock College to face Fresno City College at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday and then play a 2:00 p.m. contest at Cuesta College on Wednesday.

In the win over the Mounties (15-14, 10-8), the Falcons (20-11, 13-5) held leads of 4-0 and 6-2, but had to hold on for the win. Even in the ninth inning, Mt. SAC was able to load the bases with one out before Martin struck out Dallas Reed and then recorded the final out against Jenkins.

They opened the game by scoring twice in the first inning, with a Mt. SAC error assisting them. Sophomore outfielder Johnny Martinez (Katella HS) led off by reaching on an error before sophomore starting pitcher Jared Robinson (Bishop Amat HS) drove him in with a base hit after Martinez was sacrificed to second base by freshman Kyle Carpenter (Mayfair HS). After a ground out advanced Robinson, he scored on a base hit up the middle by sophomore first baseman Jose Romero (Whittier HS).

With two outs in the fourth inning, freshman second baseman Victor Guadalupe (La Quinta HS) drove in Robinson and sophomore third baseman Hayden Stevens (Katella HS) for a 4-0 lead. Robinson reached base on a throwing error to lead off the stanza. Carpenter drove in what turned out to be the winning runs with a two-run single in the seventh inning.

Robinson (8-4) was cruising through the first four innings, as he allowed just one hit. But the Mounties picked up single runs in the fifth and sixth innings before they scored twice in the eighth inning to get to within a 6-4 score. Martin came on in the eighth inning, and after he allowed a run-scoring single, he emerged from the inning with no more damage, thanks to an inning-ending double play. A double, hit batter and intentional walk loaded the bases for Mt. SAC in the ninth inning, but Martin worked out of that to end the game and earn his seventh save.