The Falcon softball team rallied late to secure a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory over Cuesta College on Saturday, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh to walk it off.

Cuesta struck first in the opening inning when Addy Finegan hit a two-run home run to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. Cerritos answered right back in the bottom half. With Alyssa Avila drawing one of her two walks to get on base, Cynthia Hernandez delivered an RBI single to left to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The visitors added another run in the third inning, capitalizing on a wild pitch to extend their lead to 3-1. Cuesta starter Shelbi Griffith kept the Falcons in check through five innings, allowing just one run on five hits.

The momentum shifted when Tatyana Cortez entered in relief. The sophomore right-hander was dominant over the final five innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 and not issuing a walk to improve to 8-2 on the season. After allowing three early runs, the Cerritos pitching staff held Cuesta scoreless the rest of the way.

Cerritos began chipping away in the sixth. Carissa Amaya reached base and later scored on a clutch RBI single up the middle by Marley Cortez to make it 3-2.

The Falcons completed the comeback in dramatic fashion in the seventh. Annie Perez, running for Cynthia Hernandez in the inning, came around to score the tying run when Tatyana Cortez reached on an error by the center fielder. Moments later, Isabella Najera crossed the plate on a passed ball, sealing the 4-3 victory.

Offensively, Cerritos totaled seven hits and drew nine walks, with Hernandez, Marley Cortez and Tatyana Cortez each driving in a run. Alyssa Avila and Amarie Encarnacion added stolen bases to help spark the offense.

With the win, Cerritos showcased its resilience, using patient at-bats and lockdown relief pitching to erase a late deficit and earn the walk-off non-conference victory.