Through the first six innings of their South Coast Conference game against East Los Angeles College at Kincaid Field on Thursday, the Cerritos College baseball team was holding a 12-0 lead. The bats were on fire for the Falcons (14-9, 6-2), who went on for a 16-6 win, but lost in all the noise was the pitching performance of sophomore Jonathan Marriott (La Quinta HS). Aside from an error, two hit batters and a walk, the Huskies were still looking for their first hit.

After hitting the leadoff hitter in the top of the seventh inning, Marriott (3-2) surrendered a single to Kevlin Brito, who came on as a pinch-hitter in the fourth inning and grounded into an inning ending double play in his first at-bat. Marriott would go on to walk the next batter and was removed from the game in favor of freshman Alexander Noriega (Carson HS). He retired the next three batters to keep the shutout intact, but allowed three runs in the eighth inning, with East LA adding three more in the top of the ninth inning against two more relief pitchers.

A first inning run was followed by five more in the third inning, two in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out in the third inning, sophomore outfielder Mark Pena (Bell Gardens HS) doubled in a pair of runs for a 3-0 lead. With two outs, sophomore outfielder Fermin Beza (California HS/William Jessup University) drew a walk to load the bases again and freshman second baseman Derrick Edwards (Mary Star of the Sea HS) cleared them with a three-run double.

In the fifth inning, Beza led off with a single and Edwards clubbed his second double on the day. Freshman designated hitter Emiliano Estrada (Long Beach Poly HS), sophomore third baseman Jonathan Avila (Carson HS) and sophomore outfielder Kenton McDonald (Long Beach Poly HS) all collected consecutive RBI singles to help increase the lead.

The scoring concluded in the eighth inning on a bases loaded ball that deflected off the Huskies third baseman off the bat of Estrada, with freshman pinch-hitter Kevin Sainz (Valley Christian HS) doubling in a pair of runs.

Pena (2-for-5, 5 RBI), Beza (3-for-4, three runs), Edwards (2-for-5, four RBI, two runs) and sophomore first baseman Mike Heenan (JSerra HS), who was 2-for-5, all had multiple-hit games.

Photos by Daryl Peterson