After struggling the last few games to find run support, the Cerritos College baseball team produced 12 runs, as they defeated Golden West, 12-7 on Wednesday. The win snapped a four-game losing streak, with the Falcons (2-5) now hosting Ventura College at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. In scoring their 12 runs, the team had three big offensive innings, including a four-run ninth inning to give them some breathing room late in the game.

Freshman starting pitcher Jacob Northcutt (St. Joseph HS) struggled against the Rustlers (5-6), who scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning and chased him in the second inning after picking up two more runs. The Falcons, who scored three in the top of the second inning to take a 3-2 lead, pulled Northcutt in favor of freshman Christian Smith (Garden Grove HS), who lasted 5 2/3 innings to earn the win.

Offensively, freshman outfielder Johnny Martinez (Katella HS) went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored, His RBI single in the top of the ninth inning started a four-run rally that was aided by a Rustler error, which allowed a pair of runs to score. The trio of freshman third baseman Hayden Stevens (Katella HS), freshman first baseman Zach Diaz (Highland HS) and freshman shortstop Jacob Valdez (Katella HS) all collected a pair of hits, with Diaz and freshman designated hitter Jared Robinson (Bishop Amat HS) each credited with a pair of RBI.

Photo by Daryl Peterson