For the second game in a row, the Cerritos College baseball team received a strong pitching performance, which led to a win. The Falcons posted a 6-2 win against EC-Compton Center on Thursday and will close out their three-game series at noon on Saturday at Kincaid Field.

Staked to an early 3-0 lead, freshman starting pitcher Vincent Fuentes (El Rancho HS) limited the Tartars (8-21, 2-13) to one run, while allowing eight hits. He improved to 3-3 on the season by working out of a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the first, second  and fourth innings. Fuentes got Jorge Rivas to fly out in the first inning, then induced a ground ball double play by Javier Garcia in the second inning and got Garcia again in the fourth inning.

Freshman relief pitcher Joe Pacheco (Redlands East Valley HS) came on in the sixth inning and earned his third save of the season by recording the final 12 outs of the game. He retired eight of the first 10 batters he faced, but allowed Compton to score in the ninth inning before getting the final two outs of the stanza to secure the win.

At the plate, the Falcons (10-21, 5-11) put three on the board in the top of the second inning and then added a single run in the seventh inning and two more in the ninth.

Sophomore second baseman Derrick Edwards (Mary Star of the Sea HS) led off the stanza by reaching on and error before stealing second base and advancing to third on a throwing error. After freshman first baseman Jesus Mercado (St. John Bosco HS) drew a walk, freshman catcher Adam Rubio (Montebello HS) doubled in the first run, followed by a run-scoring single from freshman outfielder Rolando Nichols (Serra HS). With one out, freshman outfielder Micah Hee (Kamehameha, HI HS)  successfully dropped a squeeze bunt, which brought in Rubio with the third run.

Cerritos added a run in the seventh inning when freshman outfielder Nick Penzetta (Kamehameha, HI HS) doubled with one out after Hee drew a walk. Hee then came home on a passed ball. They loaded the bases in the ninth inning on singles by Hee and Penzetta, with Rodriguez drawing a walk. Edwards then drew a bases loaded walk, with Mercado driving in the final run with a sacrifice fly.