Sophomore pitcher Derek Valdez (Los Alamitos HS) tossed a four-hit gem against visiting Compton College to lead the Cerritos College baseball team to a 4-0 victory on Tuesday. With the win, the Falcons improve to 26-5 overall and are 14-2 in South Coast Conference play. The two teams meet up at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday in Compton for the second of their three-game series.

Valdez (9-0), who also leads the state in wins, threw just 98 pitches on the day and kept the Tartars (11-17, 7-9) off balance. He retired the first nine batters of the game before surrendering a leadoff single in the top of the fourth inning. He allowed a pair of singles in the sixth inning, but got Jalen Ringwood to hit into a fielder's choice for the final out. Valdez also lowered his season ERA to a minuscule 1.61 with the complete game shutout.

At the plate, Cerritos scored the only run they would need in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore outfielder Nico Briones (Long Beach Millikan HS) led off with an infield single and advanced to third on a one-out double by freshman catcher Alonso Reyes (Culver City HS). Freshman outfielder Isaiah Rios (St. John Bosco HS) then singled home Briones for a 1-0 lead. Sophomore shortstop DJ Massey (Gahr HS/Central Arizona College) got things going in the fifth inning, as he was hit by a pitch and then stole second base. Reyes was then hit by a pitch and the two pulled off a double-steal to put runners on second and third. Rios then drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 advantage.

Holding on to that 2-0 lead late in the game, the Falcons doubled their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Rios, who went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI, led off with a single and moved to second base on a single by freshman second baseman Dylan Immel (El Segundo HS). The bases were loaded after a single from sophomore third baseman Anthony Bassett (Colegio Bautista de Managua, Nicaragua/Los Angeles Harbor College). Sophomore designated hitter Lucas Iorgulescu (Marina HS) followed by driving in a pair of runs with a single down the left field line to close out the scoring.