Cerritos College freshman pitcher Nicholas Martinez (La Serna HS) tossed a five-hit complete game shutout in a 5-0 South Coast Conference win over visiting El Camino College on Tuesday. The win by the Falcons (4-15, 3-6) snapped the Warriors (18-4, 6-3) six-game winning streak. On Thursday, Cerritos and the #4-ranked team in Southern California will play their second of a three-game series.

Battling through some early game struggles, Martinez, surrended four of the five hits in the first two innings and at one point, retired 12 of 13 batters until a leadoff single by Logan Young in the top of the eight inning. Martinez, who finished the game with seven strikeouts, punched out the side in the eighth inning and ended the game by getting Spencer Long looking at a called third strike. In his previous start, Martinez allowed just one unearned run in eight innings of work against Mt. San Antonio College and got a no-decision.

Cerritos scored all the offense they would need in the bottom of the first inning when sophomore outfielder Michael Gonzalez (St. Bernard HS) laced a single through the infield. He came home when sophomore first baseman Roberto Salazar, Jr. (Fullerton HS) tripled over the outstretched glove of Young in right field. Sophomore outfielder Cody Ahrens (Mayfair HS/Hope International University) made it a 2-0 game when he launched his fourth home run of the season to lead off the sixth inning. The stanza continued with the Falcons receiving four consecutive walked to bring home another run. That ended the day for starting pitcher Max Pappas (4-1).

Continuing to add to their lead, walks to sophomore shortstop Aaron Paek (Sunny Hills HS/Hope International University) and Ahrens, followed by a wild pitch, put runners at second and third base. A passed ball brought home Paek, and when Salazar singled to left field, Ty Conrad overran the ball, which allowed Ahrens to come home with the final run of the game.