It took the Cerritos College baseball team seven innings to fight back from an early 8-0 deficit and draw to within 8-6 against San Joaquin Delta College at Kincaid Field on Saturday. But the comeback would end there, as the Mustangs got back four of those runs on one swing in the next inning, as the Falcons (2-3) fell, 12-8. The team will play their fifth straight home game on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. when they face Golden West College.

San Joaquin Delta (6-0) scored eight runs in the first three innings and were cruising until Cerritos posted a five-run seventh inning to get to within 8-6. In the stanza, freshman outfielder Isaac Vega (Mary Star of the Sea HS) slapped out an infield single and moved to second base on a throwing error. Sophomore third baseman Carlos Vega (Mary Star of the Sea HS/Los Angeles Harbor College) and freshman catcher Conner Sullivan (Palos Verdes HS) were both hit by pitches to load the bases.

Sophomore shortstop Julian Francois (Serra HS), who reached base five times on the day, drove in the first two runs with a double down the right field line after Timmy Reeve came on in relief. Sullivan came home on a wild pitch, with sophomore second baseman Andy Vega (Mary Star of the Sea HS) getting hit by a pitch and sophomore first baseman Daniel Mariscal (Long Beach Poly HS) drawing a walk to load the bases again. Freshman designated hitter Ryan Skjonsby (Long Beach Poly HS) brought in a run on an infield out, with freshman outfielder Nico Briones (Long Beach Millikan HS) plating the fifth run of the inning on a fly out.

Relief pitchers Rene Galvan (Cathedral HS/Compton College), Nolan Troxel (Servite HS) and Steven Salazar (Sonora HS) kept the Mustangs off the board over the next four innings and allowed a combined two hits, one hit batter and one walk. But in the top of the eighth inning, Grant McArthur stepped up with the bases loaded and launched a grand slam off relief pitcher Noah Perelman (Edison HS) to make it a 12-6 game.

Mariscal slapped a two-run single in the eighth inning to get to within 12-8, but that's as close as the Falcons would get.

Francois ended the day 2-for-2 with three walks, two stolen bases and scored two runs, while Isaac Vega went 3-for-4 with a walk.