The Cerritos College softball team suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday, as Long Beach City College posted a 4-0 South Coast Conference win at Nancy Kelly Field. The setback snapped the team’s 14-game winning streak to start the season, while it also dropped them to 3-1 in conference action. The Vikings improved to 12-4 overall and 3-1 in the SCC. The Falcons will now host both Fullerton College and College of the Canyons in a three-team round robin on Saturday. Cerritos will play Fullerton at 10:00 a.m. and Canyons at 2:00 p.m., while the other two teams will face each other at noon.

    Shutting down the Falcons was Viking pitcher Sadie Barton (10-2), who limited Cerritos to just two hits on the day, as she registered six strikeouts. Sophomore pitcher Jessica Navarro (South Gate HS) had a single in the first inning, while sophomore first baseman Stephanie Lomeli (Montebello HS) clubbed a two-out double in the fourth inning.

    Long Beach City broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning when Veronica Pando singled home pinch-runner Sarah Barton from second base after Alyssa Belmontes singled to open the inning. In the seventh inning, Sadie Barton helped her own cause by hitting a lead-off home run off Navarro (6-1), before a walk and a base hit  put runners at second and third base. Navarro, who also struck out nine on the day, uncorked a wild pitch for the second run, while Rose Vargas drove in the final run of the game with a double.