The Chaffey College Panthers shut out the Cerritos College Falcons softball team 8-0 on Jan. 28 a day after the Falcons put up 10 runs against their opponent.
A smiling Falcons head coach Kodee Murray let out a chuckle and said, “We might have played one of the worst games I’ve ever seen played at Cerritos College.”
The last time the Falcons were shutout at home was an 18-0 loss to Palomar College where the team only mustered 2 hits on March 1, 2025.
The Falcons top four hitters combined to go 0-for-12 while the team managed five hits and stranded six runners.
Freshman shortstop Alyssa Avila collected two of the Falcons’ five hits.
“We hit some balls hard, they went right at them. They hit some balls hard that got away from us,” Murray said about the game. “We couldn’t put two hits together and when you can’t put anything together there’s not much of a chance to win a game.”
The 25-year head coach has seen a lot of success in her time at Cerritos, leading the Falcons to 17 straight playoff appearances and is still confident in the young season that her team will turn it around.
Murray said, “We’re just trying to put the pieces together, know how to show up, how to battle and we’ll get there. We’ve got a lot of talent on this team. We’ve just got to put it together and get moving in the right direction.”
“We’ll be fine. Just need a couple of games to get into it. By our 10th game we’ll be in a good position to do a lot of good things,” she added.
Backed by freshman pitcher Bryanna Ortega’s complete game, shutout performance and Fernanda Cano’s three-run home run, Chaffey College started their season with a win.
“We’re pleased obviously. They’re always a great team and they’re going to be a very good team. So, we wanted to at least play a good game no matter what,” Panthers head coach Jerry Tivey said.
Tivey’s defense recorded two errors in the game and said, “A couple of things we still hope to clean up – because I thought we could play a little better – on a couple of balls, ground balls and a base hit we turned into two bases.”
Offensively, Tivey thought his team “executed pretty well” and praised the Panthers ability to hit with two outs, sacrifice bunt and run the bases.
Ortega gave up five hits and did not allow a walk until the last inning in her complete game.
“She trusts my pitching coach, they’re on the same page as far as believing in what they’re throwing,” Tivey said about Ortega. “She has a pretty good feel to herself, so I thought she did a great job for [the] opening game.”
This win marks Chaffey’s first win against Cerritos since the 2019 season. The two teams did not meet up in 2024 or the shortened 2020 season. No season was held in 2021.
Cerritos starting pitcher Tatyana Cortez pitched four innings with three strikeouts, allowed three runs on three hits and three walks.
Cortez started with three hitless and scoreless innings until Chaffey capitalized on a hit batter and a double lost in the sun by center fielder Bella Salas in the top of the fourth. Panthers shortstop Nevaeha Tarin ripped a two-run double down the left field line with two outs to open the scoring.
In relief, Riley Davison recorded one out before allowing an inherited runner to score and a three-run home run shortened her outing in the top of the fifth inning. Davison finished giving up three runs, all earned, and two hits.
Fernanda Cano’s three-run home run gave the Panthers a 6-0 the following inning. Falcons pitcher Mia Star Miramontes promptly came into the game and recorded the final two outs of the inning to stop Chaffey’s offense.
“My mindset is just to throw strikes,” Miramontes said. “I know I had to get a job done – who I was relieving, I’ve been in that position – I know it’s a mental toll and I didn’t want to keep that going and kind of changed the dynamic of the game.”
Miramontes pitched the last 2 2/3 innings including two strikeouts. Giving up only one earned run, four hits and recorded a hit.
She added some of the aspects of the game her and the team were going to work on in practice to improve as a team defensively and offensively.
In reference to the loss and continuing on to the season, Miramontes said, “it’s just a good mental reminder before conference.”
The Falcon’s softball team will travel to Cypress College on Feb. 3 for their final game before conference begins on Feb. 5.
