Alarcon’s Big Day Leads Warriors Past Cerritos in Super Regional Opener

NORWALK, Calif. – Diego Alarcon provided the offense for No. 11 El Camino College as his big day at the plate helped carry the Warriors to a 6-2 victory over No. 1 Cerritos in game one of the California Community College Baseball Super Regionals Friday afternoon at Kincaid Field.

Alarcon drove in four of the team's six runs on the day and provided two doubles, the only extra-base hits of the afternoon for the Warriors (27-17). He finished the day 3-for-4 with a walk and four RBI. Spencer Palmer, back in the lineup after missing the CCCAA Regionals with a foot injury, went 2-for-5 with two RBI.

Jose Ruiz Jr. was 1-for-3 with three runs scored while Joseph Borges, Spencer Long and Jerry Granillo all recorded a hit on Friday. Kenneth Haus picked up the victory, outdueling Falcons (31-12) ace Gilbert Romero to pick up his 10th win of the year. Haus tossed eight innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out six. Tommy Stropky pitched a perfect ninth to preserve the victory.

Things started off quietly as both teams struggled to solve the starting pitchers in the first three innings. Romero retired the first nine Warriors in order while Haus allowed just two baserunners on a single and a walk in the first three frames.

But the Warriors offense struck in the fourth inning as Ruiz Jr. led off the frame with a walk and then advanced to third on a single by Alarcon. Palmer made it 1-0 with an RBI single to left to plate Ruiz Jr. and give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

Haus retired the side in order in the bottom of the fourth and then the Warriors tacked on to the lead in the fifth as Alarcon smacked a two-out double to left field to give ECC a 3-0 advantage.

The Falcons chipped away in the bottom of the inning as Michael Gonzalez hit a solo homer off Haus to make it 3-1.

In the sixth, the Falcons trimmed the deficit to one as Jesus Mercado singled in Rollie Nichols from third to make it 3-2. The Falcons had runners on first and second with two outs but Haus got Gabriel Gonzalez to line out to short to end the threat and preserve the lead.

Haus would have some more cushion after the seventh as Alarcon struck again, smacking another two-out double to left to plate two runs and replenish the Warriors' three-run lead.

Haus and Stropky shut things down from there as Haus retired six of the final seven batters he faced while Stropky retired the side in the ninth, allowing one baserunner on a hit batter.

The Warriors will look to clinch the series and advance to the CCCAA Sectionals for the second straight year on Saturday while the Falcons will look to extend the series to a decisive game three, scheduled for Sunday. Game two of the series is set to get underway at 1 p.m.