For the second day in a row, the Cerritos College baseball team hit multiple home runs on their way to a South Coast Conference win. On Saturday, the Falcons (3-12, 2-3) outlasted host Mt. San Antonio, 13-11, which included all nine batters in the lineup collecting at least one hit, while they clubbed two more home runs. On Tuesday, the team will host the Mounties (9-11, 3-2) in another conference game.
Trailing 3-0 heading into the top of the third inning, Cerritos put four runs on the board to take a brief lead. Freshman Nicholas Martinez (La Serna HS) led off with a solo home run, with sophomore shortstop Aaron Paek (Sunny Hills HS/Hope International University) lacing a one-out double to set the table for more runs. Sophmore outfielder Cody Ahrens (Mayfair HS/Hope International University) drove in Paek with a double, while a single by sophomore first baseman Michael Gonzalez (St. Bernard HS) kept the inning alive. Sophomore catcher Andre Alvarez (Walnut HS) drove in both runners with a single, with the Falcons leaving a pair of runners on base.
The Mounties responded with a pair of runs to regain the lead, but Cerritos would take the lead for good with five runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth inning. After Gonzalez led off the inning with a base hit, Alvarez launched a two-run home run to make it a 6-5 Falcon lead. With sophomore first baseman Roberto Salazar, Jr. (Fullerton HS) on base after a single and a double from sophomore third baseman Trevor McInerney (Cerritos HS/El Camino HS), freshman second baseman Alejandro Bueno (Centennial, NV HS) brought home another run with a single. McInerney then came home on a passed ball, with the final run coming as a result of a Mt. SAC error.
Building on a 9-6 lead, the Falcons put four more runs on the board in the sixth inning. Gonzalez led off with a walk and came around to score on an Alvarez single, followed by a throwing error. McInerney doubled home Alvarez, while a Martinez single plated the next run. Freshman Shea Estrin (West HS) closed out the scoring with a sacrifice fly.
Mt. SAC made it a close game with three runs in the six inning and added two more in the ninth inning. Freshman relief pitcher John Chavez (St. John Bosco HS) entered the ninth inning without allowing a hit, but a hit batter and two-out walk put a pair of runners on base. A pair of singles drove in runs, and with runners on second and third, Chavez earned his first save of the year when he struck out Caleb Ellis for the final out.
Alvarez led the way by going 3-for-5 with five RBI, while McInereny also had three hits and Martinez posted a pair of hits. Eight different players in the lineup scored at least one run.