In both of their games against Rio Hondo College this season, the Cerritos College softball team has used a six-run inning to lead them to victory. In their first meeting, it was a six-run fifth inning that helped them to a 10-3 win. On Tuesday at Rio Hondo, the Falcons entered the top of the seventh inning trailing, 5-4 until they put six runs on the board, which resulted in a 10-5 win. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for Cerritos (12-9), who will host Pasadena City College at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday in a game that was postponed from last week due to wet conditions.
In that six-run seventh inning, freshman Kayla Hernandez (Santa Fe HS) led off with a double and scored on a throwing error that advanced freshman Deja Sendejas (El Rancho HS) to second base. With one out and Sendejas at third base, freshman Tena Spoolstra (Mayfair HS) hit a sacrifice fly, which turned out to be the winning run. But the Falcons weren't done, as sophomore Emma Wolff (Mayfair HS) singled and scored on a home run from sophomore Briana Lopez (Norwalk HS). The round-tripper was the 10th of the season for Lopez, who is tied for second in the state.
The inning continued with freshman Kayla Aros (Torrance HS) reaching base on an error and scoring on a Brianna Spoolstra (Mayfair HS) base hit. Freshman Keira Bolinas (Torrance HS) followed with an RBI single, which closed out the scoring for Cerritos.
Freshman Allisyn Udell (Whittier Christian HS) got the start in the circle and went the first 3 2/3 innings while allowing four runs on eight hits. Freshman Sierra Gerdts (Montebello HS) came on in relief and earned the win by throwing the final 3 1/3 innings and surrendered one run on three hits.
The top five batters in the lineup accounted for 13 of the Falcons 15 hits on the day, with Lopez (3-for-4, 3 RBI), Brianna Spoolstra (3-for-4, 3 RBI) and Bolinas (3-for-4, RBI) all collecting three hits on the day.