With a chance to move into a tie for first place in the South Coast Conference, the Cerritos College baseball team came up short in a 3-2 decision against East Los Angeles College at Kincaid Field on Thursday. The Falcons (14-10, 7-4), who defeated the Huskies, 2-0 on Tuesday, are now two games behind East LA and play the third game of their series on Saturday at noon.

Cerritos took an early lead, as sophomore outfielder Johnny Martinez (Katella HS) singled to lead off the inning and was advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Kyle Carpenter (Mayfair HS), the winning pitcher on Tuesday. Sophomore outfielder Jared Robinson (Bishop Amat HS) drove in Martinez with a base hit up the middle.

Sophomore starting pitcher Dylan Algra (Valley Christian HS) had allowed just one hit through the first four innings. But in the top of the fifth inning, Zachary Ashford hit a hard line drive to deep left field. Sophomore Jose Ayala (Maywood Academy HS) put himself in position to catch the ball, but it hit off the heel of his glove and Ashford was safe at second base on the error. Daniel Dominguez followed with a single to center field that plated Ashford.

The Huskies went on to take the lead for good when they put two runs on the board in the seventh inning off Algra (4-3). Ashford was walked to lead off the inning, and moved to third on a double down the right field line by Yamel Zamudio. Sophomore Elpidio Martin (Lynwood HS) came on in relief and when the first batter he faced, Joshua Carrasco, bunted back to the mound. Martin threw to the plate to cut down Ashford. But sophomore catcher Chris Carrillo (St. Paul HS/San Jose State University) had the ball knocked out of his glove, allowing the run to score. The next batter, Kevin Rodriguez executed a successful suicide squeeze bunt to account for the third run of the game.

Sophomore first baseman Jose Romero (Whittier HS) clubbed a solo home run in the eighth inning to get the Falcons to within, 3-2. In the ninth, freshman pinch-hitter Shane Preston (Deer Creek, OK HS) led off with a walk and was advanced to second base. But he was stranded there when the final out was recorded.

Photos by Daryl Peterson