Playing their second game in as many days, the Cerritos College baseball team dropped a 5-2 decision to host Cuesta College on Wednesday at the Cuesta/Hancock Spring Break Tournament. The Falcons (11-23) will finish up the tournament with a noon game at Allan Hancock College on Thursday. On Tuesday, the team suffered a 2-0 loss at the hands of Fresno City College.

Cerritos took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning when freshman first baseman Jesus Mercado (St. John Bosco HS) clubbed a two-run home run off Cougars (15-19) starting pitcher Cody Luther. With one out, freshman third baseman Jorge Rodriguez (Bellflower HS) hit a one-out double, with Mercado hitting his first home run of the season with two outs.

However, Cuesta came right back and scored four times (three unearned) in the bottom of the stanza. Freshman starting pitcher Vincent Fuentes (El Rancho HS) had just worked out of a bases loaded jam in the previous inning, but allowed a leadoff single and then a double to start the fourth inning. The Cougars got on the board when sophomore second baseman Derrick Edwards (Mary Star of the Sea HS) committed an error, which was followed by a walk, putting runners on first and third base.

The second run scored on a passed ball, while freshman relief pitcher Edgar Velasquez (Montebello HS) allowed a two-out, two-run ground rule double, which put Cuesta on top, 4-2. They added an insurance run in the eighth inning.

After scoring their two runs in the fourth inning, Cerritos had just two baserunners the rest of the game, and finished with five hits on the day.