After the first inning of their critical South Coast Conference game against visiting Mt. San Antonio College at Nancy Kelly Field on Thursday, the Cerritos College softball team was trailing, 6-0. The Mounties (24-5, 12-1), ranked #2 in the state, hit three first-inning, two-run home runs to put the Falcons in a huge hole they could not climb out from. The team will look to rebound this weekend with three games in Ventura, starting with a 1:00 p.m. game against the Pirates on Friday.

It was a 9-0 Mountie lead heading into the bottom of the third inning. But Cerritos did push a pair of runs across the plate, thanks to a two-run double from freshman third baseman Jenny Collazo (Paramount HS). Sophomore first baseman Crystal Cano (Norwalk HS/Lynn (FL) University) led off with a base hit, while sophomore outfielder Haley Petruccelli (Torrance HS) drew a walk.

Looking to avoid playing a shortened game due to the mercy rule, sophomore catcher Krystal Purkey (Gahr HS) launched a two-run, two-out home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend the game and make it 10-4. It was the fourth time in her career that Purkey hit a round-tripper against Mt. SAC.

Cano led the team with three hits on the day, while freshman pitcher Jennifer Navarro (Warren HS) was the victim of the first inning barrage. Sophomore Ana Pedroza (La Mirada HS/Caldwell (NJ) College) pitched 6 1/3 innings in relief.

Photos by Daryl Peterson