In their third game against Long Beach City College this season, the Cerritos College softball team dropped an 8-4 decision on Thursday. That gave the Vikings (21-14, 4-5) a 2-1 series win against the Falcons (18-13, 6-4), but the team still remains in second place in the South Coast Conference South Division. Cerritos will play their next two games on the road, as they travel to College of the Canyons on Saturday and then Ventura College on Monday.

LB City scored once on four hits in the top of the first inning against freshman starting pitcher Allisyn Udell (Whittier Christian HS), who battled out of a bases loaded situation. She only lasted the first two innings, after the Vikings put three more runs on the board. The Falcons battled back through the first two innings, as they scored twice in each stanza.

In the bottom of the first inning, sophomore catcher Briana Lopez (Norwalk HS) and freshman shortstop Tena Spoolstra (Mayfair HS) each collected base hits to get the offense started. Freshman outfielder Brianna Spoolstra (Mayfair HS) drove in the first run with a base hit, while Tena Spoolstra ended up scoring on a wild pitch. The second inning started with sophomore second baseman Rain Vega (La Mirada HS) hitting her first home run of the season, while sophomore outfielder Emma Wolff (Mayfair HS) followed with a walk.

Lopez then stepped up and lined a hard shot off the ankle of Vikings starting pitcher Emilee Hoppe, who had to be removed from the game. After Brianna Spoolstra tied the game with a base hit up the middle, the Falcons couldn't do anything against new pitcher Alissa Cienfuegos. In the final five innings of the game, Cerritos was held without a hit, as Cienfuegos retired 16 of the final 17 batters.

Long Beach took the lead in the top of the third inning on a run-scoring double against freshman pitcher Sierra Gerdts (Montebello HS). They put their final three runs in the books on a three-run home run from Julia Juarez in the fourth inning.

Lopez and Brianna Spoolstra had four of the team's six hits on the day.

Photos by Daryl Peterson