Sophomore shortstop Ayiana Cardenas (Walnut HS) drove in four runs and made several outstanding defensive plays to help lead the Cerritos College softball team to a 5-0 playoff win over Citrus College on Saturday. The sweep of the #11-seeded Owls (24-18) in the 1st Round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs advances the #6-seeded Falcons (31-10) to the next round. They will travel next weekend to take on #3-seeded Palomar College in San Marcos in another best-of-3 series.

Cerritos would score all the runs they would need in the third inning, as All-State pitcher Tatyana Cortez (La Serna HS) was on her way to tossing her sixth complete game shutout. Freshman third baseman Marley Cortez (Gahr HS) led off with a single, moved to second base on a wild pitch and then advanced to third on a single by sophomore catcher Vicky Najera (El Rancho HS). Sophomore outfielder Morgan Fontela (Long Beach Millikan HS) drove in the first run of the game with a double, with Cardenas making it a 3-0 game with her two-run double.

Limiting the Owls to just one hit through the first three innings, Tatyana Cortez was forced to work out of a situation in the fourth inning. A single, along with a pair of two-out walks loaded the bases until Cortez got Breanna Aguilar to ground out and end the inning.

Defensively, Cerritos made several outstanding catches in the outfield, with Cardenas turned in a few gems of her own at shortstop. In the sixth inning, freshman Carissa Amaya (El Rancho HS) hauled in a line drive by the state's leading home run hitter, Madelyn Hajj, while Fontela raced down a tailing liner from Aguilar in the seventh inning.

Cardenas capped off the day going 3-for-4 with four RBI, while Marley Cortez and Fontela both had a pair of hits. Tatyana Cortez finished with a three-hitter and struck out three batters.

Photos by Daryl Peterson