Cerritos College sophomore pitcher Miguel Flores (St. John Bosco HS) tossed his second complete game of the season, as he limited Bakersfield College to just an unearned run, and led the Falcons to a 4-1 win in Game 1 of the Southern California Regional Baseball Playoffs. Cerritos (30-14) will now host the Renegades (28-17) on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in the second game of their best-of-three series, with a third game to be played 30 minutes later, if necessary. The post-season win by the Falcons was their first since the 2003 season, as the team had lost their last four playoff games.

    Flores, who struck out eight, saw Bakersfield load the bases in the top of the ninth inning. Limiting the Renegades to just three hits through the first eight innings, Flores (7-2) surrendered back-to-back singles to Brandon Boren and Casey Brown with one out and then loaded the bases when he walked Dylan Nasiatka. But Flores got Jeff Burleson to ground into a double play to end the game, as Falcon second baseman Brandon Pesante (La Mirada HS) tagged Nasiatka and then threw to first base to end the game. On the day, Flores recorded 14 ground ball outs, while five of his strikeout victims were caught looking.

    Cerritos opened the game with single runs in the first and second inning and capitalized on a Renegade error for their second run. In the first, freshman outfielder Brian Gaylord (La Mirada HS) was hit by a pitch and advanced to third base on a one-out double by sophomore shortstop Jerry Pena (Los Altos HS). Gaylord then came home on an infield out by freshman first baseman George Sanchez (Gahr HS). Pesante opened the second inning by reaching on a fielding error by Bakersfield third baseman Tyler Garewal. Freshman third baseman Jared Olsen (Sonora HS) followed with a bloop single to center field, before freshman designated hitter AJ Rodriguez (Gahr HS) advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Freshman catcher Mario Romero (Los Altos HS) then made the score 2-0 with a run-scoring ground out.

    In the sixth inning, sophomore outfielder Trever Blood (La Mirada HS) drove home Pena from second base with a base hit up the middle, while Olsen picked up an RBI when his squeeze bunt scored Blood from third base in the eighth. In both instances, the Falcons were aggressive on the basepaths, as Pena advanced to second base on a foul ball out, which put him in scoring position for Blood, who drove him home. With the final run of the game, Blood doubled with one out, advanced to third on an infield single by Pesante, while the perfect squeeze bunt by Olsen scored Blood.