Needing to complete unfinished business on Thursday, the Cerritos College softball team won their halted game over Pasadena City College and then faced them in their regularly scheduled game. Playing the games at Citrus College, the Falcons held on to their 6-2 win in the halted game and then went on to post a 9-0, 5-inning victory over the Lancers. Cerritos (24-6, 15-3), who currently sit in third place in the South Coast Conference, will host Fullerton College (11-16) in a non-conference game at Nancy Kelly Field at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Cerritos took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning when freshman second baseman Amarie Encarnacion (Norwalk HS) walked and stole second base. With two outs, freshman outfielder Savannah Gonzalez (Whittier HS) singled up the middle, which brought home Encarnacion, while a steal of second base by Gutierrez allowed her to race home on the single by sophomore outfielder Morgan Fontela (Long Beach Millikan HS).
The offensive output would be enough for freshman pitcher Tatyana Cortez (La Serna HS), who limited the Lancers to just three hits and struck out eight batters. Cortez (17-6), the state leader in strikeouts with 184, allowed two of the hits in the second inning, but then struck out the last two batters to end the stanza. She would load the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning when she walked a batter and hit two others with no outs. A pair of strikeouts and a pop-up got Cortez out of the inning.
The Falcons responded in the top of the fifth inning by scoring seven times. A pair of singles, two walks and an error accounted for the first run, with sophomore catcher Vicky Najera (El Rancho HS) driving in a run with a bases loaded walk. An RBI single by freshman pinch-hitter Sienna Contreras (John Glenn HS) brought in another run, while sophomore shortstop Ayiana Cardenas (Walnut HS) provided the big blow with a three-run triple and then scored on a ground out by freshman outfielder Carissa Amaya (El Rancho HS).