The Cerritos College softball team was defeated by Mt. San Antonio College on Thursday for the South Coast Crossover game with a score of 9-8.
Although, it was a fierce game between the two teams Mt. SAC barely managed to scrape by.
Assistant coach Brendan Ashley said, “We were struggling very early in the game and at the middle part of the game where we didn’t hit very much, but this team showed a lot of heart at the end of the game and never gave up.
“They always believed in themselves, they fought–and put a lot of runs on the board and scared Mt. SAC til’ the very end of the game,” Ashley said.
At the end of the first inning the Falcons were trailing Mt. SAC by one run in a 3-2 lead.
Both teams showed efforts of teamwork and defense as they were almost evenly matched until the fourth inning where Mt. SAC was able to score six runs.
No. 14 center fielder Kayla Aros said, “We did good even though we got off to a slow start, we picked it up real quick–we turned it around and our whole momentum changed.”
By the end of the fourth inning Mt. SAC had a large lead of 9-2.
Although, offensively things weren’t looking so good for the Falcons, they made many defensive plays.
No. 13 outfielder Andrea Vialta said left fielder Emma Wolff was the highlight of the game, stating, “She basically robbed a home run or it could’ve been a double, and we really needed that.”
She also said, “I think they all did a fantastic job, they all put in their 110 percent, and I don’t think anyone was down in this game–everyone was all in it.”
It wasn’t until the sixth inning when No. 17 first baseman Keira Bolinas was able to get the momentum rolling by hitting the ball and taking first base.
Soon after No. 32 Kayla Hernandez made a strong hit towards right field and made a double while Bolinas took third.
No. 36 second baseman/shortstop Tena Spoolstra then hits a fast ground ball which made a single and allowed Bolinas to score a run while Hernandez took third base.
No. 23 outfielder Nicoal Magdaleno also made a single and while, Hernandez scores a run and after, Wolff gets an automatic advance to first base after pitcher Brianna Wheeler delivers four “balls”.
At this point the score is 9-4, there’s no outs, the bases are loaded, and No. 27 catcher/3rd baseman Brianna Lopez steps up to the plate.
Lopez smacked the ball as it went flying into the air and over the fence resulting in a grand slam earning the team another four points and leaving the score at 9-8.
No. 10 pitcher/outfielder Allisyn Udell said, “We mainly just been trying to come out looking to fight, we’ve been working on being more aggressive in our outings because we have been more nonchalant in the past, but we’re working on fighting from the beginning.
Udell also said that the game was really important to her because she has friends at Mt. SAC and that everyone was going to make a big deal about it and admitted that they gave Mt. SAC a good game.
Vialta explained that this game was important to the team because last year the two times they played Mt. SAC they lost both games and those two matches were just as good as this one.
Ashley said, “In certain parts of the game they exceeded my expectations, in other parts of it we have a lot of work to do.
“It’s some of the small things that can lose a game, it’s where we came up short,” Ashley concluded.
The Falcons will play again at home on Feb. 15 against Rio Hondo College at 3 p.m.
