Looking for a qualify start from their pitching staff, freshman Steven Salazar (Sonora HS) tossed six shutout innings, as the Cerritos College baseball team posted an 8-1 win over Compton College on Tuesday. The win snapped a four-game losing streak by the Falcons (6-11-1, 2-5), who will take on the Tartars (4-13, 1-4) on their home field at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Salazar (1-2) scattered five hits over six innings and posted five strikeouts, while the offense was adding to their early lead each inning. He left two runners on base in both the second and sixth innings, and struck out Noah Ford to end the sixth and left the game with a 5-0 lead.

Freshman outfielder Julian Francois (Serra HS) led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and stole second base. He then came home on a one-out single by freshman second baseman Lucas Iorgulescu (Marina HS). In fact, Francois scored four of the team's runs and was on base five times.

After sophomore shortstop Delvan Gomez (Gahr HS/College of the Desert) led off the third inning with a single, Francois (pictured, left) beat out a bunt, which gave Cerritos runners at first and second base. Freshman outfielder Dean Ormonde (Long Beach Millikan HS) was able to sacrifice them over, which set the table for Iorgulescu, who drove in both with a double.

It was more Francois in the fifth inning, as he and Ormonde led off with consecutive walks. With one out, they pulled off a double steal, and after freshman first baseman Sawyer Chesley (Laguna Beach HS) was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded. Freshman third baseman Mike Santos (Servite HS) drove in two runs with a base hit, which made it a 5-0 Cerritos lead.

Chesley added to the lead with a two-run single in the sixth inning, with Santos following with an RBI base hit. Three of the walks the Falcons received came home to score, as did Gomez, who was hit by a pair of pitches on the day.

Francois finished the day going 4-for-4 with four runs scored and a pair of stolen bases, while Iorgulescu and Santos each drove in three, with Chesley driving in a pair and reached base four times.

Photos by Daryl Peterson