Cerritos College softball returns to state championships
Cerritos’ Jazmine Macias (27) celebrates hitting her second home run as they play Palomar in the CCCAA softball playoffs at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on Saturday. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)
WALNUT – Coming into the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) State Softball Championships last week, Cerritos College was one of the three hottest teams in Southern California.
Palomar and Mt. SAC came in as the No.1 and No. 2 seeded teams with long winning streaks to end the regular season.
Cerritos, on the other hand, had to finish with a better record than Fullerton to gain a No. 4 Seed and be one of the four teams to host round one of the playoffs.
Cerritos took care of business with a nine-game winning streak at the end of the regular season, while Fullerton lost four of its last seven regular-season games.
Because of that great finish by the Falcons, they hosted Fullerton in the winner-take-all best of three 3C2A Super Regional series with a state berth on the line.
Fullerton and Cerritos (2 games to one) both won their first-round playoffs series.
Cerritos lost the first game of the best of three series on a Friday against Fullerton, 8-3, but came back and swept the Hornets, 4-1 and 6-2 on Saturday.
“Not only being at home, but going three games in each of them got us a lot tougher and an understanding of what we had to do in state,” Cerritos Softball coach Kodee Murray said.
Cerritos headed back to the 3C2A State Championships for the first time since 2009.
“We had some outstanding kids this last season,” Murray said. “Sam Islas (sophomore pitcher) has thrown two years (45-17) of unbelievable softball. We had out super sophomores, that were here when we didn’t play (COVID). They came back for the next year in order to make it here (state championships). I think that is unbelievable that they made a plan and came back.
“Every one of our infielders have their AA Degrees and they came back just for this. It’s been 14 years. The amazing thing is in 2007 we lost like Cypress did in the very first game (of the state tournament) and got to the “if” game. In 2008, that group came back and won it (state champions).”
Murray went on to talk about the rough start to this season and end up with a fantastic finish.
“The bottom line to the whole thing is the kids came in and worked their tails off and were 11-9 and didn’t think we were going to do anything. We won 17 of the last 20 in the regular season.”
The Falcons went 2-2 in the state tournament.
The No. 4 South Seed Falcons, who came into the state tournament on fire with a 21-5 record, made noise on the first day with and upset of the top seed in the North (Sierra College).
Cerritos defeated Sierra, 8-6, as they broke a 4-4 tie in the fifth inning and went on to win, 8-6.
Their end of the season hot streak continued, as eight Falcon players recorded at least one hit in the game.
Left fielder Marley Manalo was the only Falcon with multiple RBIs in the game. The freshman was 1 for 2 with a two-run double and a sac fly.
Cerritos had a two-run lead twice, before Sierra tied the game in the fourth. The Falcons sent eight batters to the plate in the four-run fifth for the 8-4 lead.
In the inning, freshman catcher Jimena Velazquez (1 for 2, 2 R, RBI) singled in the first run (5-4), followed by a bases loaded RBI walk (6-4) to sophomore third baseman Brooklyn Bedolla, an RBI (7-4) single up the middle by sophomore shortstop Miranda Diaz and a ground out by Manalo, scoring Velazquez (8-4).
Sierra scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning to close the gap to 8-6, but Islas retired seven of the last batters, allowing only one walk for the win.
Facing the Falcons in the winners bracket game was none other than rival Mt. SAC, which defeated them all three games in the regular season, outscoring Cerritos, 19-5.
The post-season proved to be a much different result for the Falcons, as they sent the Mounties into the losers bracket with an 8-2 setback and vaulted into the state semifinals.
For the second straight game, the Falcons never trailed in the game and scored six unanswered runs in the last two innings to win going away.
Islas scattered four hits and pitched her second complete game for her 22nd and final win of her career for the Falcons.
Leading the way for Cerritos was sophomore second baseman Alyssa Sotelo (3 for 4, 2 Rs, RBI, SB) and right fielder Jazmine Macias (2 for 4, 2 Rs, Dbl.) and sophomore first baseman Richere Leduc (2 for 4, 4 RBIs, HR, Dbl.).
“I’ve honestly been real excited because I’m a freshman and I’m already experiencing this,” said Macias, of the state tournament. “I honestly didn’t know we were going to make it to state from the beginning of our season. We weren’t that good at the beginning, but we just started jelling.”
With another tight game early (2-2), the Falcons broke it open in the sixth and seventh innings with three runs in each inning.
Highlighting the sixth was an RBI double down the left field line by Leduc, scoring Macias, to lead 3-2, followed by a two-run double by Diaz (1 for 4, 2 RBIs), scoring Bedolla and Leduc for the 5-2 lead.
“We weren’t sure we would even make the playoffs,” said Diaz of the tough beginning to the season. “The chemistry just wasn’t there yet.
“It’s been a long ride. We’ve always been the underdogs, and nobody talked about us. We worked so hard this season, and we worked our way to the top three. I’m so proud of our team.
“Coach never doubted us at all and always smiled and just said, ‘it’s going to be ok.’”
The Falcons added three more runs in the seventh, highlighted by a three-run home run by Leduc. It was her fourth of the season. “
That was the last win for the Falcons, as they lost the next two and finished third in the state.
In the first game on day three of the tournament, Cerritos lost to the eventual state runner-up Palomar, 5-3. Palomar scored four runs in the last two innings for the come-from-behind win.
Macias and Diaz led with two hits each in the game. Diaz was 2 for 3, while Macias (2 for 4, 3 RBIs) had a double and a home run.
In their way for an elimination game was a team Cerritos hadn’t beaten since 2014. That streak continues, as the Falcons, with only three hits, fell, 5-1, to finish in third.
“It’s sad,” said an emotional Bedolla, of the loss to end the season. “I’m so proud of the team and how far we have come from the beginning of the season. I’m proud of the fight, I’m proud of the lessons we’ve learned, the challenges we faced and overcome. I’m just really happy to end my softball career with a team like this.”
Islas, who pitched every inning (26) in the four games, reflected on the season.
“It’s been great, honestly,” said Islas, of her career with the Falcons. “To play for a coach like Kodee Murray, my God, not only in my opinion is she the best coach I’ve ever been coached by, she will always have your back. Playing for her these last two years have been great.”
Diaz (infielders) and Macias (outfielders) were both named to the Championship All-Tournament team for the Falcons.