Through the first three innings of their home game against Golden West College on Tuesday, the Cerritos College baseball team was locked in a pitcher's dual. Both the Falcons Rene Galvan (Cathedral HS/Compton College) and Rustlers Jack Smith had each allowed one hit each and combined for 12 strikeouts. By the end of the game, Golden West (4-1) had come away with an 8-3 win. Cerritos (2-4) will travel to Santa Ana College on Thursday for a 2:00 p.m. game.

Cerritos did open a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, thanks in part to an error. With one out, freshman third baseman Calix Armijo (Mary Star of the Sea HS) drew a one-out walk, followed by a base hit from freshman shortstop AJ Gonzalez (Torrance HS). With two outs, freshman second baseman Cruz Mata (Palos Verdes HS) hit a slow roller over the mound that was mishandled by Rustlers second baseman Dylan Lin, which allowed Armijo to score.

Golden West tied the game in the fourth inning when Jack Salmon hit a solo home run off Galvan (0-1). The Rustlers opened the fifth inning with three straight hits and scored a run, which brought on freshman relief pitcher Matthew Wilson (Marina HS). After recording a strikeout, Wilson surrendered a three-run home run to Lina.

Prior to the four-run fifth inning, the Falcons had taken a 2-1 lead after freshman first baseman Nate Gardenswartz (Long Beach Wilson HS) singled with two outs, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a single from freshman designated hitter Scott Mitchell (Brea Olinda HS).

Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cerritos scratched across another run. Gonzalez led off with a walk and moved to second base on a passed ball. After freshman outfielder Miles Hughes (Carson HS) sacrificed him to third, Gonzalez scored on a fielding error off the bat of freshman outfielder Chris Marquis (San Juan Hills HS). By the end of the game, the Falcons had stranded nine runners on base, with four of them in scoring position.

Both pitching staffs combined to record 31 strikeouts on the day.

Photos by Daryl Peterson