Having faced all three teams in their Super Regional this season, the Cerritos College softball team was not fazed by having to open with defending state champion, and host Palomar College, on Friday. The Falcons (33-10), an 11-8 winner over the Comets in their only meeting this season, posted a 7-4 win to advance to the semifinals on Saturday at noon. It was the first home loss this season for Palomar (33-5), who must now win four straight games to advance to the CCCAA State Championships next weekend at Bakersfield College.

The win now pits Cerritos against Santiago Canyon College, a 5-1 winner over Santa Ana College, at noon Saturday. The Falcons dropped a 4-1 decision to the Hawks back on April 14.

After both teams scored three times in the second inning, thanks to errors by both teams, Cerritos slowly pulled ahead with single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings. Both teams collected 11 hits on the day, but it was the Falcons who were able to get the big hits when necessary.

The tie was broken in the third inning as sophomore third baseman Ariana Mejia (Gahr HS) singled to lead off the stanza and sophomore first baseman Haley Whitney (Warren HS) was hit by a pitch. With one out and runners at second and third after a wild pitch, sophomore outfielder Arianna Hernandez (Santa Fe HS) singled in Mejia, with the Falcons leaving the bases loaded. The Comets threatened to answer back in the bottom of the inning, but sophomore pitcher Jamie Ramirez (El Rancho HS) got Kaylee Hughes to ground out and end the threat.

Mejia, who went 3-for-3 with a pair of walks, gave Cerritos a 5-3 lead with a two-out solo home run in the fourth inning, while Ramirez (19-8) singled to lead off the fifth inning, with freshman pinch-runner Roxanna Jensen (Havre, MT HS) coming home on a base hit by freshman catcher Krystal Purkey (Gahr HS).

Ramirez was lifted in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs after Carlie Daniels doubled home Kali Pugh to get Palomar to within 6-4. But sophomore Kat Flores (El Rancho HS) withstood a fielding error to put runners on first and third and got Kristina Carbajal to pop up. Flores earned her fourth save of the season by retiring the Comets in the seventh inning.

Hernandez and freshman second baseman Monique Ramirez (Torrance HS) each added a pair of hits for the Falcons, while Pugh had three hits for Palomar.