(Walnut) – By John M. Sherrard - The Mt. SAC softball team swept the three-game season series over Cerritos College with a 5-3 victory, to extend its lead to three games in the South Coast Conference Tuesday afternoon.
Cerritos, which came into the contest in second place trailing by a game, falls three games back with both teams having five games to play.
Mt. SAC (27-4, 14-2) delivered the long ball with three home runs, to account for all of the runs in the first three innings.
Freshman right fielder Alyssa Rasso (Corona HS) and freshman Taylor Jaurique (Wilson HS) both had two hits each for the Mounties, while freshman pitcher Tiffany Kennedy-Cummings (Chino HS) pitched a complete game and struck out ten batters for her 11th win of the season.
Sophomore first baseman Aimee Rodriguez (John Burroughs HS) hit a two-run four-bagger in the first inning to left field, scoring sophomore left fielder Danielle Jeffress (Kaiser HS). That round tripper was followed by Jaurique's (2 for 3, run, RBI) solo shot to right center for a quick 3-0 lead.
Cerritos came back with two runs in the bottom of the first to trail, 3-2, but Rasso (2 for 4, run, 2 RBIS) connected with a two-run homer in the third for the 5-2 lead.
After a leadoff home run by Cerritos in the third to close to 5-3, Kennedy-Cummings struck out six of the next seven Cerritos batters and allow only two hits.
The Mounties continue the marathon schedule this week with four games in the next three days, ending with a doubleheader in Bakersfield on Friday.