After locking in their second South Coast Conference championship in the last five years, the Cerritos College softball team was looking to secure their first title all by themselves since 1978. Over the course of their existence, the Falcons have now won seven conference championships, with the last four being shared with another team. After their 3-0 loss at Nancy Kelly Field on Tuesday against Mt. San Antonio College, the Falcons (35-5 overall) finished the regular season with a 12-3 conference record with the Mounties (31-16). It once again proved how difficult it is for a good team to beat another good team three times in a row. Next up for Cerritos will be the Southern California Regional Playoffs, which start on May 3-4 with an opponent to be determined this weekend.

    The Mounties took advantage of a couple of defensive mishaps to score their first run in the top of the second inning, while a mammoth two-run home run by Francesca Gonzales in the third inning off sophomore pitcher Jessica Navarro (South Gate HS) finished off the scoring. With one out in the second inning, Mt. San Antonio’s Heather Ortiz hit a high popup to sophomore second baseman Vanezza Martin Del Campo (St. Joseph HS), who backed up to catch the ball. But, in the last second, she lost the ball in the sun and it fell for a base hit. After an out and another single, Kandi Baldwin sent a high fly ball into the middle of the infield, with three Falcon players hovering around the ball. But nobody called for the ball and it landed for a single, which scored Ortiz with the first run.

    Alternating their pitchers each inning, Mt. SAC used both Mandy Pongs and Shelair Rowell to limit the Falcons to just three hits on the day, while they combined to strike out four. Cerritos advanced a runner to second base in the fifth inning, as sophomore first  baseman Stephanie Lomeli (Montebello HS) singled, while a walk to sophomore outfielder Cecily Garcia (St. Joseph HS) put runners at first and second base. But sophomore outfielder Capree Williams (Paramount HS/Bethune Cookman University) grounded out to end the inning. In the seventh inning, freshman outfielder Jennifer Salas (California HS) led off with a double, but was stranded at third base when the final out was recorded.