Trailing 2-0 for the majority of the game, the Cerritos College baseball team came back and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 3-2 win in a South Coast Conference game against Los Angeles Harbor College at Kincaid Field on Thursday. The Falcons (12-17, 7-7) will close out their three-game series with the Seahawks (10-18-1, 6-8) with a noon game on Saturday in Wilmington.

The Falcons tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom the eighth inning but left the bases loaded. In the bottom of the ninth inning, sophomore second baseman Tyler Acevedo (Sunny Hills HS/Irvine Valley College) led off with a single against relief pitcher David McKeller (1-3). He was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt from freshman shortstop Jacob Valdez (Katella HS) before freshman outfielder Johnny Martinez (Katella HS) drew a four-pitch walk. Freshman third baseman Hayden Stevens (Katella HS) then stepped up a singled to right field and Acevedo was able to slide under the tag of AJ Kissinger at the plate for the winning run.

Sophomore starting pitcher Sebastian Frutos (Bellflower HS) struggled from the outset and found himself working out of tight situations. In his 5 2/3 innings of work, Furtos allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and walked five batters. He worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second inning when he got Jordan Espino to fly out and handled a comebacker from Christian Hurtado in the fourth inning to leave the bases loaded. Freshman relief pitcher Andrew Bueno (St. John Bosco HS) got a ground out from pinch-hitter Tim Martin in the sixth inning when the Seahawks had the bases loaded and retired seven of the nine batters he faced.

After surrendering a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth inning, Bueno was replaced by freshman Elpidio Martin (Lynwood HS) who recorded three straight outs, including a pair of strikeouts and earned his first win of the season.

Cerritos tied the game in the eighth inning when Martinez and Stevens drew walks against starting pitcher Anthony Konders. Freshman pinch-hitter Edgar Menendez (Katella HS) responded with a run-scoring single, while the other run came on a balk with runners at second and third.

Photo by Daryl Peterson