For the fourth time in the last five years, and first since 2010, the Cerritos College softball team has clinched at least a share of the South Coast Conference championship on the strength of their 3-1 win over Long Beach City College at Nancy Kelly Field on Thursday. The Falcons (28-7, 19-1), who lead second place Mt. San Antonio College by one game with one SCC game remaining, will travel to Cypress College on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. non-conference game and then close out the regular season with a 3:00 p.m. conference game at El Camino College. The SCC title is the fifth in the career of head coach Kodee Murray, while it marks the 10th conference championship in school history.

Cerritos broke the 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning, thanks to a two-run double by sophomore outfielder Lauren Castrellon (Downey HS) off Vikings (18-18, 12-8) pitcher Frances Campoy. Freshman first baseman Andrea Arellano (Downey HS) led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, with freshman catcher Ally Catania (Pacifica HS) sacrificing pinch-runner Sacheen Contreras (Warren HS) to second base. A single by sophomore outfielder Maiya Tallakson (Redondo Union HS), who advanced to second base on the throw to third base, set the table for Castrellon.

Freshman pitcher Lily Cornejo (Paramount HS) earned her 26th win of the season, as she scattered seven hits on the day, and worked out of several tight situations. LBCC scored their run in the top of the first inning, as Danielle Hannan led off the game with a triple and came home on an infield out by Elizabeth Melendrez. In the fifth inning, the Vikings saw Reanna Guzman advance to third base with two outs, but Cornejo got Hannan to line back to the circle to end the threat. Cornejo then struck out Shanise Compton with runners at first and second base to end the sixth inning, while LB City stranded runners and first and second base to end the game.

The Falcons tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out double by sophomore designated player Jackie Flores (California HS), which drove in sophomore third baseman Krista Mele (California HS), who drew a walk. Castrellon led Cerritos with a pair of hits against Campoy (8-9).