In their first two games of the season, the Cerritos College baseball team was able to work out of pitching  situations and shut out their opponents. On Tuesday, the Falcons allowed their first runs of the season, and tried to fight back from a 5-0 deficit before dropping a 7-4 non-conference decision at Ventura College. The team will now host Cerro Coso College at 2:00 p.m. on Friday in a non-conference game.

Getting his first collegiate start was freshman Kyle Carpenter (Mayfair HS), who lasted into the fourth inning after allowing five runs on four hits. The trio of relief pitchers that come in the remainder of the game fared well, as they surrendered two runs (unearned), with freshman Ryan Arambula (Bell Gardens HS) going 3 1/3 and giving up just one hit.

The Pirates (3-1) scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning and added two more in the fourth inning to take their 5-0 lead. After Carpenter retired the first two batters in the third inning, a walk was followed by a single and then an RBI single and a two-run double.

Cerritos got on the board in the top of the fifth inning when sophomore outfielder Jose Ayala (Maywood Academy HS) drew a one-out walk followed by a single from sophomore outfielder Johnny Martinez (Katella HS). An error kept the inning alive before freshman second baseman Victor Guadalupe (La Quinta HS) drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. Sophomore third baseman Hayden Stevens (Katella HS) left a runner in scoring position when he struck out to end the stanza.

It was a 5-3 game in the seventh inning when Guadalupe doubled home a run, followed by an RBI ground out by Stevens. On a fielder's choice ground ball off the bat of sophomore catcher Chris Carrillo (St. Paul HS/San Jose State University), Guadalupe was tagged out at the plate to end the team's scoring threat. Cerritos added an RBI single from Stevens in the ninth inning and left runners at first and third to end the game.

Martinez led the way with three hits, while freshman shortstop Daniel Lopez (Montebello HS) scored a pair of runs in the loss. The Falcons also left 11 runners on base.