With a chance to earn crucial power points prior to the start of the Southern California Regional Playoffs, the Cerritos College softball team, ranked #3 in Southern California, dropped a 3-2 non-conference decision to #1-ranked Cypress College on Saturday. The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for the Falcons (28-8), who close out their South Coast Conference season with a 3:00 p.m. game at El Camino on Tuesday. The top eight seeded teams will play host to a best-of-three series in the first round of the playoffs, which will take place on May 5-6.

Down 2-0 heading into the top of the fifth inning, the Falcons were able to tie the game after leaving the bases loaded in the fourth inning. Sophomore outfielder Maiya Tallakson (Redondo Union HS) led off the fifth inning with a single and scored on a triple by sophomore outfielder Lauren Castrellon (Downey HS). The game was knotted at 2-2 after sophomore third baseman Krista Mele (California HS) successfully bunted Castrellon home.

However, in the bottom of the fifth inning, a leadoff single by Mallory Campbell was followed by a fielding error by sophomore shortstop Briana Quintana (Mayfair HS), while a pair of ground outs brought Campbell home with the eventual game-winning run. The loss by freshman pitcher Lily Cornejo (Paramount HS) dropped her record to 26-7 on the year. Cerritos had a chance to tie the game in the seventh inning after Castrellon singled and stole second base with two outs before Mele saw her fly ball get blown back into the infield for the final out.