A nine-run first inning propelled the Cerritos College softball team to a 15-0 route of the El Camino-Compton Center Tartars at Nancy Kelly Field on Thursday, Feb. 19.

Assistant coach Jenel Guadagno said, “I’m glad the team didn’t play down to [ECC’s] level. They fought through and through and kept going.”

Falcons center fielder Joanna Perruccio led off with a single to right center, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball.

She was then brought in by third baseman Crystal Cano’s single to left field.

Shortstop Jenny Collazo hit a single to center, advancing Cano and scoring on first baseman Haley Petruccelli’s triple, making the score 3-0 with no outs.

The hitting continued when designated hitter Jennifer Navarro singled to center and brought in Petruccelli.

Navarro was later brought in by second baseman Monique Ramirez’s double, followed by left fielder Jasmine Javier’s single, which scored catcher Krystal Purkey.

Ramirez was brought in by right fielder Cheyann Samuelson’s bunt single, increasing the Falcons lead to 7-0.

Perruccio came up to bat once again in the inning, singling up the middle and being caught at second, but earning the RBI when Javier crossed the plate.

Cano also gained another RBI in the inning when Samuelson scored on her groundout to shortstop.

The Tartars finally made the third out on Petruccelli’s flyout to center.

Winning pitcher Ana Pedroza quickly got through the second inning with a strikeout, infield fly and another strikeout.

“I’m really proud of the whole team because we each contributed to scoring runs and we fought the whole way. We didn’t stop, that’s what I liked about it, we just kept going and going. We just shut Compton down which is awesome,” Perruccio said.

Cerritos once again exploded in the bottom of the second inning, scoring five runs on four hits.

ECC left fielder Roxy Calzada made one of three Tartars errors when she failed to catch Falcons second baseman Raquel Norzagary’s fly ball, allowing Navarro to safely cross the plate.

Perruccio, Cano and Collazo added four more runs in the inning, increasing the lead to 14-0.

Designated hitter Stefani Gonzalez scored a run of her own in the fourth inning with a home run over the right field wall, sealing the victory at 15-0 in five innings, the fourth consecutive mercy-win for the Falcons.

Pedroza held the Tartars to two hits in four innings, including four strikeouts and no walks.

Amanda Frazier allowed two hits in one inning for the Falcons.