Through the first seven innings, the Cerritos College baseball team was leading visiting Compton College, 3-0, while their first two pitchers were tossing a no-hitter. However, the Tartars tied the game with a three-run home run in the eighth inning and went on to registered a 6-4, 10-inning win over the Falcons (7-12-1, 3-6). The team will now start a three-game series against El Camino College, with the first game slated for 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Kincaid Field.

Freshman starting pitcher Justin Almeda (Gahr HS) went the first six innings and did not allow Compton a hit, with freshman relief pitcher Tony Lendvai (La Mirada HS) pitching a perfect seventh inning. Sophomore Braydon Williams (Dorsey HS/West Los Angeles College) came on in the eighth and surrendered a leadoff single to Andy Perez, and then walked pinch-hitter Michael Heard on four pitches. He was replaced by freshman Noah Ortega (Downey HS), who gave up a three-run home run to Aaron Cruz, which tied the game.

The Falcons did respond in the bottom of the eighth inning by pushing across a run to take a 4-3 lead. Sophomore third baseman Jorge Centeno (Santa Fe HS/Rio Hondo College) drew a one-out walk, with freshman pinch-runner Terril Steen, Jr. (North Torrance HS) stealing second base on the first pitch. Freshman pinch-hitter Lucas Iorgulescu (Marina HS) doubled home Steen for the lead heading into the ninth inning.

After recording the first two outs of the ninth inning, sophomore relief pitcher J'amore' Ward (Gahr HS) thought he had served up the game-ending ground ball. But freshman shortstop Andy Vega (Mary Star of the Sea HS) mishandled the ball, which opened the door for the Tartars. Cruz was then hit by Ward, with Sevon Battle following with a game-tying single.

In the 10th inning, Ward allowed a leadoff single with the next play resulting in a collision at second base on an attempted out. Vega had the ball knocked out of his glove by Crixtian Tavares, giving Compton runners and first and second base. Freshman Carter Stoddard (Sunny Hills HS) came on and after recording the first two outs of the inning, gave up a two-run double to Andy Perez, which turned out to be the game-winning runs for Compton.

Offensively, the Falcons were limited to just five hits, with two of their runs coming in on sacrifice flies and another on a balk. Sophomore second baseman Delvan Gomez (Gahr HS/College of the Desert) drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, with Vega coming home on a balk after starting the third inning with a base hit. Sophomore outfielder Hasan Standifer (San Pedro HS/Jackson State University) made it 3-0 with his sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, while Iorgulescu drove in the final run in his only plate appearance of the day.

Photos by Daryl Peterson