05.03.08 - SCC Player of the Year Jessica Navarro tossed a five-inning perfect game and hit a two-run home run to advance Cerritos past Chaffey College 11-0 Saturday. More Photos

    Earlier in the week, Cerritos College softball player Jessica Navarro (South Gate HS) was named the Player of the Year in two all-state teams and was also selected the South Coast Conference Player of the Year. She showed on Saturday why she has received all of her accolades. In the first game of a best two-out-of-three series in the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs, Navarro tossed a five-inning perfect game and also clubbed a two-run home run, while she drove in four on the day, as the Falcons defeated Chaffey College, 11-0. The #2-seeded Falcons (36-5) are now just one win away from advancing to the second round, while the #15-seeded Panthers (27-19) must win twice on Sunday. The first game is scheduled for noon, while a second game will be played at 2:00 p.m. if necessary.

    It didn’t take long for Cerritos to start racking up the runs, as they put six on the board in the first inning. Navarro got things started with a two-run double to center field that scored both sophomore outfielder Capree Williams (Paramount HS/Bethune-Cookman University) and sophomore shortstop Jenel Guadagno (Warren HS). Sophomore catcher Nadine Garcia (Mayfair HS) followed with an RBI single before sophomore second baseman Vanezza Martin Del Campo (St. Joseph HS) drilled a two-run triple to give the Falcons a 5-0 lead against starting pitcher Britini Baca. After Baca was removed in favor of Corey Williams, Martin Del Campo came home on a wild pitch.

    In the second inning, Williams (walk) and Guadagno (single) each reached base, which set up Garcia for a two-run double, while freshman outfielder Jennifer Salas (California HS) drove in a run with a base hit. The scoring was concluded when Navarro drilled a home run off Baca, who returned to the circle in the fourth inning.

    The perfect game by Navarro was her first, while she tossed a five-inning no-hitter against Ventura College last year. Navarro recorded eight strikeouts on the day and faced only two three-ball counts on the day, but struck the batter out on both occasions.