Locked in a battle for third place in the South Coast Conference, the Cerritos College softball team came up short in a 5-4 loss against host El Camino College on Thursday. The Falcons (16-8, 7-5), who had their four-game winning streak snapped, are right back in action on Friday at 1:00 p.m. when they host conference-leading Long Beach City College (20-4, 9-0).

The game went back and forth and when Cerritos scored twice in the top of the fifth inning, it was tied, 4-4. However, the Warriors (16-10, 8-4) were able to push across a run in the bottom of the inning, which turned out to be the difference in the game. A two-out single by Lilly Lewis brought home pinch-runner Jacqueline Ordonez with the eventual winning run after she stole second base.

Cerritos took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning after freshman outfielder Morgan Fontela (Long Beach Millikan HS) and sophomore second baseman Jocelyn Doan (Walnut HS) led off with consecutive singles. With one out, sophomore third baseman Natalie Basurto (Walnut HS) doubled home a run, followed by a sacrifice fly by sophomore catcher Jimena Velazquez (Fullerton Union HS).

El Camino responded with a run in the bottom of the inning off sophomore pitcher Reanna Carranza (El Rancho HS) to tie the game. Trailing, 4-2, the Falcons scored twice in the fifth to tie the game before the Warriors recorded the winning run in the bottom of the inning. Cerritos could only muster a lead-off single by Basurto in the seventh inning the rest of the way.