After an eight-run first inning against Long Beach City College at Nancy Kelly Field on Thursday, it appeared that the Cerritos College softball team was going to finish off the game quickly. The Falcons maintained their lead until the Vikings scored four times in the top of the seventh inning and post  a 14-13 South Coast Conference South Division win. Cerritos will travel to East Los Angeles College on Thursday for a 3:00 p.m. conference crossover game.

Every time LBCC slowly started working their way back into the game, the Falcons (17-9, 3-2) answered with at least one run. An 8-2 lead became a 10-4 lead after three innings and then it was an 11-8 lead and 13-10 advantage heading into the top of the seventh inning.

Long Beach went on to score four times off losing pitcher Carly Gutierrez (Santa Fe HS), who struggled to get outs in her second appearance in the circle on the day. After a walk and single, Gutierrez (3-2) gave up an RBI single to Alissa Cienfuegos and a two-run base hit by Amanda McCallip. The eventual game-winning run scored in an infield out.

The Falcons pounded starting pitcher Cienfuegos, who failed to record an out after facing four batters. That included a two-run home run by sophomore pitcher Jissel Caballero (Warren HS), who clubbed a round-trippers on the day, reached base five times and drove in four runs. With the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, sophomore outfielder Kimberly Olivas (Warren HS) cleared the bases with a double, while Caballero drove in her third run of the inning with a base hit.

Holding on to a slim 11-10 advantage in the bottom of the sixth inning, freshman third baseman Briana Lopez (Norwalk HS) drove in a pair with a double. Before the Falcons could add on to their lead, LBCC second baseman Daisy Velasquez made a great diving stab on a line drive by freshman catcher Rain Vega (La Mirada HS) and then doubled up Lopez at second base to end the inning.

On the day, Lopez went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI, while Olivas and sophomore first baseman Kristen Voller (Norco HS) added a pair of hits and drove in two runs.

Photos by Daryl Peterson