The Cerritos College softball team used late-inning execution and strong pitching to edge Southwestern College.
In a tightly contested defensive battle, the Falcons scored twice in the final two innings to erase a one-run deficit and secure the walk-off victory.
Southwestern struck first in the third inning, taking advantage of a Cerritos error to push across an unearned run on a sacrifice fly from Jules Lemen for a 1-0 lead.
The score remained the same the rest of the way until the sixth inning, when Cerritos broke through. Marley Cortez scored on a groundout by Luna Villa, tying the game at 1-1 and setting the stage for late drama.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Falcons delivered the decisive blow. Isabella Najera reached and came around to score on Alyssa Avila's sacrifice fly to right field, lifting Cerritos to the 2-1 win.
Cerritos managed five hits on the day, with Avila, Marley Cortez, Bella Salas, Tatyana Cortez, and Amarie Encarnacion each recording a hit. The Falcons manufactured runs with situational hitting, recording both RBI on sacrifice plays.
In the circle, Tatyana Cortez was dominant, striking out six over 4.2 shutout innings while allowing just four hits. Mia Star Miramontes closed out the game, surrendering only one unearned run over 2.1 innings while striking out three to earn the save.
