With their backs pressed firmly against the wall, the Cerritos College baseball team escaped defeat twice and came away with a 4-3, 11-inning win over visiting Riverside City College on Thursday. Sophomore outfielder Diego Orozco (Long Beach Wilson HS) slapped out a hit with the bases loaded to send the Falcons to victory. The win by the #1-seeded Falcons (35-8) on the first day of the Southern California Super Regionals results in the team taking on South Coast Conference rival Long Beach City College, the #8 seed, in a best-of-3 series starting at 1:00 p.m. on Friday at Kincaid Field. Riverside City saw their season come to an end, as they dropped a 9-2 decision to the Vikings earlier in the day.

Cerritos won two of the three games against the Vikings during conference play. The 35 wins by the Falcons are also the most since the 1999 team won 35 games.

The game was scoreless through the first six innings until the Tigers (27-17) touched up freshman starter Myles Johnson (Katella HS) for two runs in three hits in the top of the seventh inning. Up until that point, Johnson had scattered three hits through six innings and posted six strikeouts. He still came out for the next two innings and kept Riverside City from adding to their total and concluded the game allowing eight hits and struck out eight batters.

Down to their final three outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Cerritos took advantage of a walk, hit batter, fielder's choice and a pair of wild pitches to account for their first run. Sophomore third baseman Anthony Bassett (Colegio Bautista de Managua, Nicaragua/Los Angeles Harbor College) led off with a walk, while freshman outfielder Isaiah Rios (St. John Bosco HS) was hit by a Dakota Gray pitch on an 0-2 count. Sophomore first baseman Mike Santos (Servite HS) reached on a fielder's choice to put runners at first and third, with Bassett scoring on a wild pitch by new hurler Matt Hudson. After another wild pitch allowed pinch-runner Evan Saito (Torrance HS) to move to third base, he scored on a two-out single by freshman second baseman Dylan Immel (El Segundo HS) to tie the game.

However, the Tigers were able to scratch a run across the plate in the top of the 10th inning off sophomore relief pitcher Cade Sonoqui (Long Beach Millikan HS). After striking out the first two batters, Sonoqui walked Adam Valencia, who stole second base and then scored on a single by Eddie Alfaro. After he stole second and third base, Sonoqui got Richard Tejeda to ground out to end the inning.

Needing to score in order to keep the game going, the Falcons saw Orozco lead off with a walk, move to second base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore shortstop DJ Massey (Gahr HS/Central Arizona College). Freshman catcher Alonso Reyes (Culver City HS) followed with an RBI triple to tie the game, but could not win the game in the 10th and had to go to another inning.

Sonoqui (2-1), who struck out four in two innings, retired the Tigers in order in the top of the 11th inning.

Facing new pitcher Jordan Townley, sophomore pinch-hitter Anthony Godfrey (Long Beach Millikan HS) led off with a walk, but was cut down on a fielder's choice by freshman pinch-hitter Ryan Reyes (Los Alamitos HS). Immel and sophomore outfielder Nico Briones (Long Beach Millikan HS) both then drew walks to load the bases for Orozco, who sent the 0-1 offering into left-center field, which brought in pinch-runner Andy Cisneros (Warren HS) with the winning run.