The Cerritos College baseball team saw their 2013 season come to a conclusion with a 14-6 South Coast Conference loss to East Los Angeles College on Friday at Kincaid Field. The setback ended the Falcons season at 14-22 overall and 9-12 in conference play, while the Hukies improved to 24-12 and 14-7 and await word on whether or not they will get a playoff bid.

The Huskies broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the second inning, thanks to a Falcon throwing error. With bases loaded, freshman first baseman Jose Romero (Whittier HS) looked to cut down lead runner Zachary Ashford on a ground ball, but his throw to the plate was high, and it allowed a pair of runs to score. With two outs, Kyle Peralta singled home two more runs against freshman pitcher Dylan Algra (Valley Christian HS), who took the loss to fall to 2-5.

Another error in the third inning resulted in an East LA run, while the score was 8-1 before the Falcons looked to make a run at winning their final game of the season. In the bottom of the seventh inning, freshman outfielder Michael Esparza (California HS) reached base on an infield single and then scored on a pinch-hit triple from freshman Edgar Menendez (Katella HS). Freshman catcher Anthony Vazquez (Bellflower HS) followed with an RBI single, which chased starting pitcher Elias Novelo. A sacrifice fly with the bases loaded from freshman third baseman Hayden Stevens (Katella HS) made the score 8-4, but ELAC put six runs on the board in the top of the ninth inning to eliminate any doubt.

Freshman outfielder Johnny Martinez (Katella HS) had three hits for the second game in a row for the Falcons, while Vazquez, freshman second baseman Joseph Rivera (Savanna HS) and sophomore shortstop Cesar Castillo (Bellflower HS) all added a pair of hits. Peralta led the Huskies on the day by going 4-for-4 with three RBI.

Photo by Daryl Peterson