Baseball: Late-inning runs results in 5-3 setback

Franky Lopez tossed four shutout innings against Pasadena City
Franky Lopez tossed four shutout innings against Pasadena City

Clinging to a 3-2 lead after seven innings, the Cerritos College baseball team surrounded three unanswered runs to visiting Pasadena City College on Tuesday and dropped a 5-3 decision. The Falcons (5-10, 1-3) will host Mt. San Antonio College at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow in one of their rain makeup games.

Cerritos took their 3-2 lead on a two-run single from sophomore outfielder Jason Givens (Santa Fe HS), which plated freshman catcher Conner Sullivan (Palos Verdes HS) and sophomore second baseman Julian Francois (Serra HS), who led off the seventh inning with consecutive hits. However, the Lancers (12-6, 5-2) responded with a pair of runs in the eighth inning and another in the ninth to post the victory.

Earlier in the game, the team had several chances to score, but left runners on base. They left runners in scoring position in three previous innings. The team's other run came home on a sacrifice fly from sophomore third baseman Carlos Vega (Mary Star of the Sea HS/Los Angeles Harbor College) in the sixth inning.

Sophomore first baseman Daniel Mariscal (Long Beach Poly HS) had three more hits to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, while he's batting .452 on the year. Freshman designated hitter Anthony Godfrey (Carson HS) also had a pair of hits, while Francois stole his 11th base of the season.

Photos by Daryl Peterson