Box Score | Season Stats

February 28, 2008

Baseball:

Vikings end up on losing end of pitcher’s duel, fall 2-0 to Cerritos

The Long Beach City College baseball team suffered a 2-0 South Coast Conference loss to visiting Cerritos College on Thursday at Joe Hicks Memorial Field.

The loss snapped LBCC’s four-game winning streak and dropped its record to 11-6 overall and 1-1 in the SCC. Cerritos improved to 11-8 and 3-0 in conference play.

The game began as a pitcher’s duel between LBCC sophomore Randy Serrato and Cerritos freshman Tony Peraza as both matched each other with seven scoreless innings.

But Cerritos finally touched Serrato for its two runs in the top of the eighth.

Center fielder Anthony Topete led off with an infield single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by right fielder Brian Gaylord. Topete advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw from Serrato at second. After an intentional walk to second baseman Brandon Pesante, Topete came in to score the game’s first run on a RBI single from shortstop Jerry Peña.

First baseman Trevor Blood followed that with a sharp single down the third-base line to plate Pesante for Cerritos’ second run.

Long Beach got just five hits in the ball game. The Vikings’ best chance to score came in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, right fielder Brett Mahoney and center fielder Michael Shultz hit back-to-back singles.

But Peraza escaped the inning when he got shortstop Hector Iribe to line into a double play to end the LBCC threat. Peraza allowed five hits and struck out seven in 7+ innings pitched to improve to 2-1 on the season.

Serrato also pitched his way out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the top of the fifth to keep the game scoreless. The loss dropped him to 3-1 overall. He allowed two runs and seven hits in eight innings and struck out eight.

Schultz led LBCC at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a double. Topete (2 for 3) and Blood (2 for 4) both had a pair of hits for Cerritos.

LBCC is back in action on Saturday (Mar. 1) when its Compton College in a 12 p.m. SCC game.