Cruising with a 4-1 lead after five innings against visiting Chaffey College on Friday afternoon, the Cerritos College softball team surrendered nine unanswered runs in a 10-4 loss. The South Coast Conference loss to the Panthers (7-2, 4-1) dropped the Falcons record to 4-6 on the year and 2-3 in conference play. The team will travel to Rio Hondo College for a 3:00 p.m. conference game on Monday.

Cerritos opened the game with three runs in the bottom of the first inning and added another run in the second inning. Chaffey scored a single run in the third inning and then took advantage of two Falcon errors and two other miscues to help garner their nine runs. After a double and throwing error to lead off the stanza, Veronica Macias his a three-run home run to tie the game at 4-4. Three straight singles then loaded the bases with one out, while a ground ball hit to sophomore shortstop Tena Spoolstra (Mayfair HS) was thrown away trying to get a force out at the plate, which scored a run. Two more runs were scored when freshman catcher Erica Martinez (Kennedy HS) failed to step on the plate for force outs on consecutive plays, which would have ended the inning. Three more runs were scored after the second miscue at the plate.

The game opened with Spoolstra bunting for a single with one out in the first inning. After stealing second base, Spoolstra advanced to third on a bloop double by sophomore first baseman Keira Bolinas (Torrance HS). Sophomore third baseman Kayla Hernandez (Santa Fe HS) followed with an RBI single, with sophomore Victoria Medina (Whittier HS/Rio Hondo College) also driving in a run with a single. The third run came home on a fielder's choice by freshman outfielder Itzel Soto (Long Beach Millikan HS). Hernandez drove in her second run of the game in the second inning.

Bolinas led a 14-hit day with three hits, while Spoolstra, Hernandez and Media all added a pair of hits.

Photos by Daryl Peterson