Bolstered by a first inning grand slam from freshman first baseman Richere Leduc (California HS), the Cerritos College softball team defeated El Camino College, 7-1 in a South Coast Conference game at Nancy Kelly Field on Thursday. Winners of four games in a row, the Falcons (6-2, 1-1) will host Cypress College in a non-conference game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

The Falcons scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the first inning after Leduc launched a one-out grand slam. Cerritos loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single from freshman second baseman Miranda Diaz (California HS).

The run support would be enough for freshman pitcher Samantha Islas (Roosevelt HS), who tossed a complete game and recorded seven strikeouts. Facing a potent Warriors (5-2, 2-1) lineup, Islas (3-1) retired eight of the first 10 batters she faced, with the only run coming on a pair of Cerritos errors in the third inning. She survived the third inning, thanks in part to freshman left fielder Negasse Williams (Aliso Niguel HS) throwing out Leah Madden at the plate for the second out.

El Camino loaded the bases in the sixth inning, but Islas struck out Clarissa Lockett looking to end the inning.

Cerritos added single runs in the final three innings, with freshman second baseman Alyssa Sotelo (El Rancho HS) driving in the team's fifth run with a two-out single in the fourth inning. After Diaz was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, freshman third baseman Brooklyn Bedolla (Mayfair HS) drew a walk, while Leduc loaded the bases with a single. Williams brought in a run with a two-out walk, with Diaz plating the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning that allowed freshman center fielder Alyssa Capps (Downey HS) to score.

Photos by Daryl Peterson