Tied, 3-3 with Fresno City College after five innings at Elks Field in Santa Maria on Tuesday, the Cerritos College baseball team allowed four unanswered runs, which resulted in a 7-3 loss. The Falcons (19-7) get right back at it on Wednesday when they travel to Cuesta College for a 2:00 p.m. game.

Trailing 3-0, Cerritos battled back to tie the game with a pair of runs in the third inning and another in the fourth inning. Freshman starting pitcher Eric Winchester (Diamond Bar HS) lasted into the fifth inning and was replaced by freshman Brian Kossler (Mayfair HS) after allowing a pair of walks. Kossler stepped in and struck out Popejoy and then got Chavez to fly out and end the threat.

However, the Rams (17-9) struck for a pair of runs in the sixth inning and added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning off Kossler, who took the loss. He recorded the first two outs of the ninth inning, but then a hit batter was followed by a single and then a two-run double.

In the third inning, freshman outfielder Gabriel Jaime (Fullerton HS) reached base on an error, followed by a double from sophomore third baseman Jorge Rodriguez (Bellflower HS). Sophomore outfielder Rollie Nichols (Serra HS) stepped up and brought both runners in with a base hit. With two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Rodriguez drew a walk to plate the Falcons third run of the game. But Nichols then flied out to deep center field the end the inning and the scoring threat.

They looked to get on the board in the sixth inning when sophomore outfielder Jakob Gonzalez (La Mirada HS/San Jose State University) reached on an error, with Jaime drawing a walk and Rodriguez lacing a single to load the bases. But Cerritos left the bases loaded once again.

The Falcons had just five hits on the day, with Rodriguez going 4-for-4 with a walk, while Nichols had the other hit and drove in a pair.