The Falcons baseball team broke open a close game with a five-run sixth inning and powered past Long Beach City College, 8-2, in South Coast Conference action.

Behind a big offensive day from Mateo Heredia and a strong pitching performances from Nolan Patterson and Jake Fowler, the Falcons collected 14 hits and controlled the game down the stretch.

Cerritos jumped on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning when Heredia delivered an RBI single to bring home Jose Perez for a 1-0 lead. The Falcons added another run in the second inning when Hudson Comer scored on a throwing error by the Long Beach City catcher during a stolen-base attempt by Luke Crowder, pushing the advantage to 2-0.

Long Beach City answered in the fourth inning when Eshua Desai launched a two-run home run to center field, tying the game at 2-2. But Cerritos quickly regained control in the fifth. Tyler Peshke singled and later scored on another RBI knock from Heredia to give the Falcons a 3-2 edge.

The Falcons blew the game open in the sixth inning. Peshke started the rally with an RBI single that scored Comer, and Perez followed with another run-scoring hit. Heredia then delivered the biggest swing of the day, crushing a three-run home run to left field to cap the inning and extend the Cerritos lead to 8-2.

Heredia led the offensive attack, going 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBI. Peshke finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Perez also recorded two hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Brody Cuellar added a strong performance at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, while the Falcons' lineup combined for 14 hits.

Patterson (3-2) earned the victory, tossing five innings while allowing two runs on three hits with two strikeouts. Fowler was dominant out of the bullpen, pitching four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit while striking out three to earn his second save of the season.

The Falcons will look to take the series on Saturday in their final match-up against LBCC.