Cypress Keeps it Rolling with Mercy Win Over Cerritos

The Cypress Chargers (7-0) mercied the Cerritos Falcons (3-3) on Monday afternoon, 9-1. 

For their first meeting since the 2023 3C2A State Championship Tournament, the defending champions hosted the Cerritos Falcons. In last year's state tournament, Head Coach Brad Pickler and his squad defeated Cerritos 5-1. The victory helped the team advance to the championship game where they would be crowned champions with their two exciting wins over the Palomar Comets. The 6-0 Chargers welcomed the Falcons to Cypress College for a regular season rematch on Monday and looked to remain undefeated. 

The first out for Cypress set the tone as Jaylene Duarte climbed the ladder for a leaping catch to help out her pitcher. For the offense, Mikala Jacobsen reached in the bottom of the second from a hit by pitch. A great sacrifice bunt from Lizbeth Gomez moved Jacobsen into scoring position. WIth first and third action on the base paths, Jacobsen scored as Kim MacPherson was tagged out. On a hard line shot to the third baseman, Duarte knocked in the game's first RBI to extend the Chargers lead, 2-0. 

From a second successful sacrifice bunt, the Chargers set the table with a runner in scoring position in the third frame. Ashlynn Ortiz stepped up to the plate and roped the ball over the center fielder's head for a run scoring stand-up double, 3-0. 

The visiting Falcons were able to earn a run in the fourth inning but Cypress answered right back. In the bottom of the frame, an error by Cerritos allowed the home team to collect their fourth run of the afternoon. Cypress would take advantage of their opportunity and knock in two more runs. With bases loaded, Jacobsen smacked the ball down the third base line near the wall for a two-RBI double, 6-1. 

Cypress tallied a couple of insurance runs in the fifth off of Julia Doan single up the middle, 8-1. Kaitlyn Reynolds followed it up with an RBI double of her own to walk-off the game due to mercy rule, 9-1.

Up and down the lineup, the bats had a successful day in the team victory. Ortiz and Jacobsen collected two hits each and accumulated three RBI's total. Doan earned two runs batted in off of her one hit and scored a run. Reynolds had an impressive day in the circle and at the plate as she went 3-4 with an RBI and only allowed one run in 5.0 frames pitched. Cypress continues their incredible start and improves to 7-0 with the mercy win over Cerritos.

Release by Michelle Navarro, Cypress