JUST WALK IT OFF!

In a back-and-forth thriller between two top 15 teams, No. 14 the Hornets pulled off some late-game heroics walking off No. 5 Cerritos College 6-5 in extra innings Wednesday afternoon at Hornet Field.

Fullerton (26-13) pounded out 10 hits on the afternoon led by a big effort by Juliana Ursino, who went 2-5 with triple, a home run, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Ursino's fifth-inning blast to left field gave the Hornets a 3-1 lead and fired up the team.

Faith Krueger also had a strong day at the plate going 3-4 with a double, a home run, and an RBI. Dakoda Hilvers also left her mark with a solo home run while scoring a run, and Alana Eisel chipped in 2 hits, including the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.

FC got things started in the bottom of the first with Ursino rocking the first pitch of the game to the far corner of left field for a triple. She soon came across home plate on a passed ball.

The Falcons (31-9) tied in up in the top of the second on a SAC Fly, and the game remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the fifth inning when Ursino struck again with a two-run jack over the left field fence.

Up 3-1 heading into the sixth, Luna Villa hit a homer to left field to pull within a run, however Faith Krueger matched it with a solo home run of her own in the bottom if the sixth to put FC up 4-2.

A strong hitting team, Cerritos tallied 13 hits on the day and took a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning behind big hits from Luna Villa and Tatyana Cortez. Villa's two-RBI single in the seventh gave the Falcons their first lead of the game.

With their backs against the wall, the Hornets quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning when Hilvers launched a game-tying solo shot to left to tie it up at 5-5.

In the circle, Sam Vizcarra battled through 6.1 innings, allowing 5 runs on 13 hits while keeping the Hornets within striking distance. Grace Workman was dominant in relief tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 9-3 on the season.

After holding Cerritos scoreless in the top of the ninth, the Hornets capitalized in the bottom half. With Valdez on second, Eisel delivered the decisive blow with a line-drive single to left center that brought in the winning run for the walk-off win.

Up Next: The Hornets (26-13 overall, 14-6 OEC) will play their final regular season home game on Thursday, April 23^rd when they welcome Riverside City College at 3:00 pm. It will be Sophomore Day at Hornet Field so come on out and support the team!