The Cerritos College baseball team saw their season come to an end after their 4-3 loss to Moorpark College in the second game of the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs Saturday morning at Kincaid Field. The two-game sweep knocked the Falcons (33-13) out of the playoffs, while the Raiders (27-17) move on to the Super Regional next weekend.
The majority of the damage against the Falcons came in the first inning, as Raider first baseman Dylan Gaughen blasted a three-run home run off sophomore starting pitcher Robbie Dominguez (El Rancho HS). With one out, Phillip Johnson doubled, while Nick Dingman singled, which put runners at first and third. Gaughen then hit the first offering by Dominguez over the left field wall for an early 3-0 Moorpark lead.
Cerritos did mount a comeback with some power of their own, as freshman first baseman Trever Blood (La Mirada HS) clubbed a two-run home run in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 3-2. With two outs, sophomore catcher Phil Rodriguez (Norwalk HS) singled before Blood hit his second home run of the season.
Dominguez seemed to settle down after surrendering the early home run, as he limited Moorpark to just one hit over the next three innings, while striking out four. But, in the bottom of the fifth inning, his first walk came back to hurt him, as Evan Johnson led off with a walk and eventually came home on a base hit to right field by Gaughen.
Once again, the Falcons found a little firepower in their lineup, as sophomore outfielder Andrew Baslow (Chatsworth HS) hit his first career home run, a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning off Moorpark pitcher David Goodenough. However, there would be no more power in the lineup, as Cerritos was unable to get the tying run across the board.
In the eighth, freshman outfielder Anthony Topete (Norwalk HS) was hit by a pitch and stole second base, but was stranded there when Baslow struck out to end the inning. In the ninth, Rodriguez sent a deep fly ball to center field, but Raider outfielder Nick Pinneri made an over-the-shoulder catch as he fell onto the warning track, which was 425-feet away from home plate.
Dominguez (9-3) went 7 1/3 innings and took the loss, as he allowed all four runs on seven hits and struck out seven. Goodenough (6-5) went the distance for Moorpark and struck out four and did not allow a walk.
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