Holding a 6-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cerritos College baseball team surrendered the next five runs in a suspended game at Mt. San Jacinto College on Friday. The Falcons, who travel to Santa Barbara City College on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. game, were trailing, 7-6 heading into the top of the ninth inning. They will get their chance to tie the game - or take the lead - when the two teams meet at Kincaid Field for their scheduled game on February 21. Cerritos will continue to serve as the visitor in the game and will then be the home team for their scheduled game.

The Falcons received assistance from the Eagles pitching staff through the first five innings, as they drew four walks and were hit four times. But the eight runners left on base, with four in scoring position, prevented them from opening up a larger lead. Mt. San Jacinto scored three times in the bottom of the fifth inning and then took their first lead of the game with a two-out, run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In the second inning, Cerritos took a 2-0 lead when freshman catcher Adam Rubio (Montebello HS) drove in both freshman first baseman Jesus Mercado (St. John Bosco HS) and freshman outfielder Matthew Hickman (La Mirada HS) with two outs. Freshman designated hitter Rolando Nichols (Serra HS), who drew a walk to load the bases prior to Rubio's hit, was stranded at third base.

Freshman starting pitcher Edgar Velasquez (Montebello HS) was able to work out of trouble in each of the four innings he was on the mound. Each inning, the Eagles got their leadoff hitter on base, but aside from a two-out, two-run single in the second inning and an RBI single in the third inning, Velasquez was able to escape any other damage.

It was a three-run third inning on just two hits that gave the Falcons a 5-2 advantage. Sophomore outfielder Kevin Sainz (Valley Christian HS) led off with a base hit and stole second base. He came around on a base hit by Mercado before freshman third baseman Jorge Rodriguez (Bellflower HS) was hit by a pitch to chase starting pitcher Jordan Ewig. A sacrifice fly by freshman shortstop Ramon Bramasco (Cathedral HS) was accompanied by a bases loaded hit by pitch to account for the team's other runs in the inning.

After ending the fourth inning, sophomore relief pitcher Carlos Hernandez (Pioneer HS) struggled in the fifth inning, which resulted in three Eagles runs. He escaped trouble in the sixth inning with an inning-ending double play. In the eighth inning, freshman Jakob Johnston (California HS) surrendered a pair of walks before freshman Micah Hee (Kamehameha, HI HS) was called upon to get the final out of the inning and keep the game tied. But Anthony Garcia greeted his first pitch with a run-scoring single.

On the day, Rubio was 2-for-3 with three RBI, while Sainz (2-for-5) and Mercado (2-for-3, two runs) also had two hits for the Falcons.