A two-run fifth inning gave the Cerritos College baseball team a brief lead over host College of the Canyons on Friday afternoon. However, that lead didn't last long, as the Cougars scored seven unanswered runs en route to a 9-4 setback by the Falcons. The loss by Cerritos (1-8) was their fourth in a row, and the team will look to snap that skid on Tuesday for they travel to Santa Ana College for a 2:00 p.m. game.
Sophomore first baseman Roberto Salazar, Jr. (Fullerton HS) led off the fifth with a solo home run to tie the game, with freshman outfielder Shea Estrin (West HS) lacing a double with one out. Freshman shortstop Alejandro Bueno (Centennial, NV HS) drove in Estrin with a base hit, which gave the Falcons a 2-1 advantage.
College of the Canyons used the long ball in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Max Mehlbaum clubbed a three-run home run off freshman starting pitcher Anthony Gonzalez, Jr. (Norwalk HS), who suffered the loss. It capped a four-run inning, which was followed by a two-run sixth inning with one of the runs unearned.
Bueno made it an 8-4 game in the top of the seventh inning with a two-run home run, with the Falcons leaving runners on base in each of the final three innings. On the day, Bueno went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Estrin had a pair of hits and scored twice.