The Cerritos College softball team staked sophomore pitcher Kayla Klein (La Habra HS/Texas A&M University) to an early lead, and they turned it into an 8-4 non-conference win at Saddleback College on Wednesday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak and evened the team's record at 3-3. The week doesn't get any easier for the Falcons, as they travel to Santa Ana College for their third road game in as many days. The 2:30 contest is a rescheduled game from an earlier rain postponement.

A pair of runs in the first and second inning, followed by four more in the third inning, gave Cerritos an early 8-1 lead, as they team collected a season-high 15 hits in the win. Freshman outfielder Arianna Hernandez (Santa Fe HS) was the catalyst on the day, as she went 5-for-5, while sophomore first baseman Andrea Arellano (Downey HS) clubbed a three-run home run in the third inning to give the team their comfortable lead.

Klein (2-1) struggled at times, as she allowed all four runs in her five-plus innings of work. In the sixth inning, a single was followed by a two-run home run from McCrae Cayton, which brought in freshman Jamie Ramirez (El Rancho HS), who set down six out of the seven batters she faced.

In addition to the five hits and two stolen bases by Hernandez and the five RBI from Arellano, Ramirez and freshman Haley Whitney (Warren HS) each slapped out a pair of hits, while sophomore Aubrey Formano (St. Paul HS/Fullerton HS) scored three runs.

Photo by Daryl Peterson