Advancing to the Southern California Regional Finals for the first time since 1995, the Cerritos College baseball team came one game short of advancing to the 3C2A State Tournament. The Falcons (38-10) dropped a 9-2 score to Saddleback College on Sunday in the deciding game of their best-of-3 series. The 38 wins by first-year coach Nate Fernley were the most by a Cerritos team since that 1995 team won 39 games and played in the state championship game. Fernley led the Falcons to their first South Coast Conference title since 2018 and should be a serious candidate for the state's Coach of the Year.

Although the #5-seeded Bobcats (31-17) scored all of their runs in the first four innings, Cerritos was in position to make it a different game, but failed to come up with clutch hits. Saddleback scored twice in the first inning (one unearned) against freshman starting pitcher Myles Johnson (Katella HS), who ended up allowing eight of the runs in his shortest outing of the season (3 11/3 innings).

Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning, the Falcons were able to load the bases with one out after consecutive singles by sophomore first baseman Mike Santos (Servite HS) and freshman second baseman Dylan Immel (El Segundo HS), followed by freshman designated hitter Diego Orozco (Long Beach Wilson HS) drawing a walk. However, they were unable to get the ball out of the infield after that and left the bases loaded. They came back in the bottom of the third inning and had a chance to carve into the now 6-0 deficit. Sophomore shortstop DJ Massey (Gahr HS/Central Arizonza College) led off with a single and was then called out on a controversial call at second base on a fielder's choice by freshman catcher Alonso Reyes (Culver City HS). Massey appeared to have beaten the throw, but was called out. Sophomore third baseman Anthony Bassett (Colegio Bautista de Managua, Nicaragua/Los Angeles Harbor College) followed with a walk, but once again, the Falcons left runners in scoring position.

Sophomore closer Calix Armijo (Mary Star of the Sea HS) relieved Johnson (8-4) in the fourth inning, which resulted in three more Bobcat runs. The big hit was a two-out, two-run single by Jacob Hudson off Armijo. The school-record holder in saves ended up pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits and struck out four batters.

Cerritos scored both of the runs in the bottom of the eighth inning after Bassett opened the scoring by reaching on an error. Freshman outfielder Isaiah Rios (St. John Bosco HS) followed with an RBI triple and then scored on a single up the middle by Santos.

Photos by Daryl Peterson