It was a day in which the Cerritos College softball sophomores were honored before their critical South Coast Conference game against cross-town rival Long Beach City College took place at Nancy Kelly Field on Thursday. After they were honored, the freshmen showed why they are also one of the main reasons the Falcons (35-4 overall, 12-2 SCC) are ranked #3 in the state, as Cerritos posted a 9-0, six-inning win over the Vikings (27-11-1, 11-4). The victory assured the Falcons at least a share of the conference championship with just one more SCC game remaining against second place Mt. San Antonio College (11-3) at home next Tuesday. Cerritos will now get the top seed out of the conference even if they tie in the standings with the Mounties, on the strength of their two wins over Mt. SAC in their first two meetings.

    Before the freshman could make their mark, sophomore pitcher Jessica Navarro (South Gate HS) showed why she is widely considered one of the best all-round players in the state. After sophomore outfielder Capree Williams (Paramount HS/Bethune-Cookman University) led off with an infield hit and sophomore shortstop Jenel Guadagno (Warren HS) drew a walk, Navarro blasted the first offering from Viking pitcher Sadie Barton over the left-field wall for a three-run blast. The home run by Navarro was her 10^th of the season, while she increased her school record for most RBI in a season, with three more, running her season total to 60.

    It was a stark contrast to the first two meetings between the Falcons and Vikings, as Barton shut out Cerritos in both games, and limited them to just seven hits, while striking out 17 in the two games. Before she was removed in the fifth inning, Barton had allowed seven runs and seven hits.

    After the Falcons added a single run in the third inning on an RBI double by freshman outfielder Jennifer Salas (California HS), Cerritos put another three quick runs on the board in the fifth inning. Guadagno led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch before Navarro slapped out a single, her third hit of the day. After an out was recorded, Salas hit a home run that went at least 35 feet over the left-field wall and into a construction site. The game ended in the sixth inning when Guadagno doubled home two runs, which activated the mercy rule.

    On the day, Navarro limited the Vikings to just two hits and struck out three, while Long Beach City was only able to threaten to score in the sixth when they had runners at second and third with one out.