Freshman pitcher Tatyana Cortez (La Serna HS) faced 15 batters on Monday in the Cerritos College softball team's make-up game with Rio Hondo College at Nancy Kelly Field. Her team did their job at the plate and gave her eight runs, while Cortez struck out 14 of the 15 batters she faced for a five-inning no-hitter. It marks the second season in a row that a Falcons pitcher tossed a no-hitter, as Reanna Carranza completed the feat over seven innings on January 30, 2024 against Santiago Canyon College.

The win by Cerritos improved their record to 11-4 over and 5-2 in South Coast Conference play. The team will host Los Angeles Harbor College at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Cortez mowed through the Roadrunners (3-14, 1-6) each inning. She had a trio of three-ball counts on the day, but still recorded a strikeout each time. The only hitter the put the ball in play was Gissele Ramirez-Huerta, who grounded out to second base after Cortez struck out the first eight batters of the game.

Offensively, Cerritos scored three times in the second inning to get things started. Sophomore catcher Vicky Najera (El Rancho HS) reached first base on an error when Jalyssa Zamudio dropped the throw to the bag. After stealing second base, Najera came home on a triple by freshman outfielder Carissa Amaya (El Rancho HS). A sacrifce fly by freshman first baseman Valerie Vasquez (California HS) plated the second run of the inning, with freshman third baseman Savannah Gonzalez (Whittier HS) getting hit by a pitch, stealing second base and eventually coming home on a wild pitch.

Vasquez accounted for the two runs in the third inning with her two-out, two-run home run, while sophomore shortstop Ayiana Cardenas (Walnut HS) led off the fourth inning with a double. Freshman pinch-hitter Sienna Contreras (John Glenn HS) drew a walk, with Najera and Amaya each following with RBIs with consecutive singles. The final run of the game came when freshman pinch-hitter Makayla Garcia (Downey HS) led off with a single, stole second base and came around to score on a single off the bat of freshman second baseman Marley Cortez (Gahr HS).