On Saturday, the Cerritos College softball team posted a big win and followed that up with a close loss at Nancy Kelly Field. The Falcons (10-5) opened the day with a 15-0, 5-inning win over Mt. San Jacinto College and followed that with a close 6-5 loss at the hands of Palomar College. The team will play their next four games on the road, starting with a 3:00 p.m. game at Santiago Canyon College on Monday.

Cerritos vs. Mt. San Jacinto: In their morning game, the Falcons scored seven runs in the first inning and added eight more in the second inning to account for all of their offense. In the first inning, sophomore outfielder Kimberly Olivas (Warren HS) led off by getting hit by a pitch, followed by a base hit from sophomore third baseman Jissel Caballero (Warren HS). That set the table for sophomore second baseman Kylee Brown (Mayfair HS), who launched a three-run home run for an early 3-0 lead. Freshmen Briana Lopez (Norwalk HS) and Rain Vega (La Mirada HS) each drew walks, while freshman Emma Wolff (Mayfair HS) was hit by a pitch with two outs to load the bases.

Sophomore Ashley Melendez (Magnolia HS) and Olivas each drove in runs with consecutive walks, with a wild pitch and an error on the same play accounting for the final two runs. Brown and sophomore Erica Guzman (Enoch HS/William Jessup University) each drove in a pair of runs in the second inning, with Olivas, Mendez, Vega and freshman Desiree Flores (Downey HS) all bringing in single runs.

Sophomore pitcher Kristen Voller (Norco HS) tossed the first three innings to earn the win and allowed one hit while striking out four batters. Caballero came on to pitch the final two innings and surrendered one hit and struck out two.

Cerritos vs. Palomar: The Falcons took a 2-1 lead after the first inning, thanks to a pair of illegal pitches. Olivas walked to start the inning, followed by a single from Caballero. They both advanced on a wild pitch and then scored on consecutive illegal pitches from Palomar starter Crystal DesLauriers. The Comets scored the next five runs of the game, which was aided by a pair of Cerritos errors. The Falcons made a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when they scored three times.

Guzman led off with a walk and was safe at second base on an error, with Vega on first base. An illegal pitch and walk loaded the bases for freshman Tatyana Peko (La Habra HS), who was hit by a pitch, driving in a run. Olivas then beat the throw to first base on a potential double-play, which brought in the second run of the inning. Caballero closed out the inning with a run-scoring single. The Falcons left a pair of runners on base after Brown struck out. Caballero collected three of the Falcons four hits in the game.

Photos by Daryl Peterson