The Cerritos College baseball team exploded for 12 runs on 13 hits and received a dominant outing on the mound to power past Compton College, 12-1, on Saturday afternoon.
Cerritos wasted no time setting the tone, striking for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Tyler Peshke got things started and later scored on an RBI double to center by Mateo Heredia. Jose Perez came home on a passed ball, and Brody Cuellar capped the frame with an RBI single to give the Falcons an early 3-0 advantage.
Compton pushed across its lone run in the third inning on a fielder's choice RBI, but that would be all the visiting side could manage against Cerritos starter Logan Hunt. The freshman right-hander was sharp, tossing six innings while allowing just three hits and one run. Hunt (2-2) struck out seven and walked one in a 71-pitch effort.
Leading 3-1, the Falcons broke the game open with a seven-run fifth inning. Alejandro Rosas ignited the rally with an RBI single before CJ Berthon delivered a two-run double to left-center. Luke Crowder followed with a two-run double of his own, and Jose Perez added an RBI single. Heredia capped the outburst with another RBI knock, extending the lead to 10-1.
Cerritos continued to apply pressure in the sixth and seventh innings. Crowder added a run-scoring groundout in the sixth, and Perez crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the seventh to account for the final margin.
Heredia had a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored while also drawing two walks. Crowder drove in a team-high three runs, while Berthon added two RBI and a double. Peshke scored twice and swiped a base, and Jose Perez reached base four times, scoring twice and driving in a run.
Out of the bullpen, AJ Gonzalez, Jake Fowler and Heredia combined to close out the final three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three. As a staff, Cerritos pitchers limited Compton to four hits and struck out 10.
With the victory, the Falcons improved to 5-1 in SCC play and will look to carry this momentum into next week's series against Long Beach City College.
