The Cerritos College baseball team pushed across an unearned run in the fifth inning, and went on to post a 1-0 win in their season opener at Kincaid Field against College of the Canyons on Thursday. The Falcons (1-0), who used three pitchers to shut out the Cougars (1-1), worked out of situations in four different innings to pull out the win. They will now host Citrus College at noon on Saturday.

Sophomore starting pitcher Jared Robinson (Bishop Amat HS) lasted into the seventh inning, and was relieved when a line shot by Nicholas Vigo deflected off his heel for a base hit. It marked the second time in the game Robinson (1-0) was hit with a line drive. Freshman left-hander Joe Fernandez (St. Paul HS) came on with one out and two runners on base. After surrendering a bloop single to JD Krauskopf to load the bases, Fernandez struck out left-handed batters David Oppenheim and Robert Ramos, with the third out catching Ramos looking. Sophomore Jonathan Grana (Downey HS) earned the save when he pitched the final two innings.

Cerritos scored their lone run in the fifth inning when sophomore outfielder Johnny Martinez (Katella HS) led off with an infield hit off starting pitcher JC Cloney (0-1). A sacrifice bunt by sophomore designated hitter Anthony Vazquez (Bellflower HS) and infield out from sophomore outfielder Jose Ayala (Maywood Academy HS) advance Martinez to third base. Freshman outfielder Kyle Carpenter (Mayfair HS) then laid down a squeeze bunt down the third base line. Canyons third baseman Dylan Freyre threw the ball wide, allowing Martinez to score with the lone run of the game.

Robinson pitched out of several jams during his appearance. He allowed three straight one-out singles in the top of the first inning, but struck out both Corey Sims and Freyre to get out of the inning. In the third, Robinson punched out Ramos and Sims with runners at first and second base, while he got a comebacker from Ramos to end the fifth inning with runners at first and second. It was Fernandez who escaped the seventh inning, with Grana coming on in the eighth and getting a double play ball to work out of the eighth inning. In the ninth, sophomore catcher Chris Carrillo (St. Paul HS/San Jose State University) cut down Krauskopf at second base with the final out of the game, as he tried to advance a base on a pitch in the dirt.

Photos by Daryl Peterson