With a six-run third inning propelling them to a 6-1 lead over host Santa Ana College on Monday, the Cerritos College softball team was unable to hold the lead and suffered a 10-7 setback. The non-conference loss drops the Falcons record to 18-7, while they will now play their sixth game in four days on Tuesday when they travel to El Camino College for a 3:00 p.m. South Coast Conference game.

After spotting the Dons (20-6) to a 1-0 lead, freshman second baseman Monique Ramirez (Torrance HS) opened the third inning by reaching base on a fielding error and then stealing second base. A walk to freshman outfielder Joanna Perruccio (Long Beach Wilson HS) was followed by a sacrifice bunt, which advanced the runners. That set the table for sophomore third baseman Ariana Mejia (Gahr HS), who doubled in a pair of runs. Sophomore first baseman Haley Whitney (Warren HS) continued the inning with a single, while sophomore outfielder Arianna Hernandez (Santa Fe HS) clubbed a three-run home run to give the Falcons a 6-1 lead.

Sophomore pitcher Kat Flores (El Rancho HS) wasn't able to hold the lead, as Santa Ana came back in the fourth inning to tie the game at 6-6 with five runs. The Falcon defense hurt their cause, as a pair of errors in the stanza helped account for the runs. The Dons took the lead with a single run in the fifth and then three more insurance runs in the sixth inning.

Sophomore catcher Krystal Purkey (Gahr HS) contributed an RBI single in the seventh inning. With runners on second and third, Hernandez lined out to third base for the final out of the game. Mejia, Whitney, Purkey and Hernandez all had two hits on the day for the Falcons, with Hernandez driving in three and Mejia two runs.