The first game of the season leaves smiles on the face of the Cerritos College baseball team after its 6-5 win over the visiting Fullerton Hornets.

After three pitcher changes per team, a home run from Cerritos, and eleven total runs scored the Falcons ended up on top of the Hornets in this eight and a half inning game.

“He came up big, I’m happy for him,” said head coach Jack Brooks about DH Tim Soonthorngarun and his clutch situation hitting.

The Falcons next challenge will be against visiting Glendale, “I hope it’s not like this, I’m going to age ten years, we’ve got to play better offense and defense.”

Brooks was also pleased with the teams pitching. “Christian Rodriguez, Tucker Woods, and Kevin Hendrix, they all did a great job throwing strikes,” said Brooks when asked about his relief pitchers.

“My coach and teammates telling me what to do,” commented Soonthorngarun after the game about his performance.

The Falcon’s worked to win in every chance that they got and developed enough momentum until they surpassed Fullerton in the seventh inning.

Fullerton was the first to draw blood in the second inning. With a wild pitch by Cerritos’ Nick Quezeda brought catcher Nick O’Loughlin home and gave Fullerton the lead.

Then with bases loaded, infielder JP LaMunyon hit a double bringing in the men on second and third base to score two points giving Fullerton an early 3-0 lead.

In the third inning, Fullerton’s George Flores scored from third base off an error from second baseman Joe Terry extending the Hornets’ lead to a 4-0 deficit.

In the fourth inning, however, it was Terry who was the first answer back, with a solo homerun over the right field wall putting Cerritos in the game with their first run.

In the fifth inning Joe Terry is walked with bases loaded bringing home outfielder Adam Peacock and giving Cerritos a needed point, closing the deficit to 4-2, Fullerton.

Cerritos continued to close in on the Hornets in the seventh inning with a line drive and a stolen base by Adam Peacock. Then right fielder Jake Mayoral got a hit and scored Peacock tallying on an extra point for the Falcons, making it a 4-3 Fullerton game.

In the home half of the seventh inning, Joe Terry was walked intentionally moving Mayoral to second base, and with a wild pitch, from Fullerton’s Mat Thomas, moved Mayoral to third base and Terry to second base.

Designated hitter Tim Soonthorngarun went up to bat and with a clutch hit down centerfield, which scored Mayoral and Terry and gave the Falcons two points and a 5-4 lead.

“Finally,” was all Soonthorngarun said he was thinking after that hit. “I was messing up at the beginning,” he added, “I was doing good then I got nervous; everyone was nervous, it’s just the first game.”

In the eighth inning Fullerton tried rallying back with a line drive by infielder Staven Mancilla, which scored George Flores from third base and tied up the game at 5-5.

But in Cerritos’ half of the eighth inning, with bases loaded and after a pitching change by Fullerton, third baseman Jake Mayoral was walked, with bases loaded, bringing home Edgar Serrano, who was in pinch running for first baseman Josh Bryan, giving Cerritos another point, the lead, and eventually the game.

“I’m happy we stayed with it and battled and pulled out a victory, it was a team effort,” said head coach Jack Brooks after the game. “It’s always nice to win the first game of the season.”

After three pitcher changes per team, a home run from Cerritos, eleven runs scored, and eight and a half innings the Falcons ended up on top of the Hornets.