The Cerritos Dons will square off against the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cerritos' pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Long Beach Poly's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Cerritos took a six-run loss the last time they faced off against Lakewood, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Dons came out on top in a nail-biter against the Lancers on Wednesday, sneaking past 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Dons have posted since April 18, 2025.
Jacob Hoosac looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit.
On the hitting side, Cerritos saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jayce Aragon, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double. That double was Aragon's first of the season.
Meanwhile, Long Beach Poly made easy work of Valley Christian on Monday and carried off a 7-1 victory.
Malakai Pruitt spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Tate Hammond, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in February of 2025. Another player making a difference was Fausto Gaxiola III, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Cerritos' win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Long Beach Poly, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
Cerritos came out on top in a nail-biter against Long Beach Poly when the teams last played back in April of 2022, sneaking past 1-0. Do the Dons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Jackrabbits turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
