It was a tough day at the ballpark for the Cerritos College baseball team, who was returning to action after a 22-month hiatus due to a worldwide pandemic. The Falcons were limited to just three hits, as visiting Fullerton College recorded a 12-0 win. The two teams will meet up again at noon on Saturday at Fullerton.

Freshman starting pitcher Steven Salazar (Sonora HS/Golden West College) got off to a quick start, as he struck out three batters in the first inning. He was cruising along until Garet Crenshaw hit a one-out solo home run in the third inning. But things took a turn for the worse in the fourth inning, as a seeing-eye double dropped in for two runs in a four-run inning. With runners at first and second with two outs, Kaipo Haole hit a blooper into short center field that fell between middle infielders Andy Vega (Mary Star of the Sea HS) and Lucas Iorgulescu (Marina HS), which plated a pair of runs. After an intentional walk to Crenshaw, a pair of run-scoring singles made it a 5-0 Hornets lead.

The Falcons left runners in scoring position in the second and third innings, while they loaded the bases in the fifth inning. Freshman third baseman Sawyer Chesley (Laguna Beach HS/Fullerton College), who came on for injured Luis Chavarin, Jr. (Sonora HS) in the fourth inning, hit into an inning-ending double play, which put an end to the potential rally.

Fullerton put the game out of reach with four more runs in the seventh inning, thanks to consecutive triples and a home run.

Freshman outfielder Julian Francois (Serra HS) reached base twice, with freshmen Mike Santos (Servite HS) and Moses Dokes (Santa Barbara HS) accounting for the team's other two hits.