605 LEAGUE SOFTBALL: Hernandez flirts with perfect game as Cerritos continues its dominance in league

April 29, 2026

By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X

The numbers have been staggering, in a positive way  since 2019 and with a new league waiting for the Cerritos High softball program for 2027, the only thing remaining to add to its eight-year dominance is another 605 League title. The Dons, behind freshman pitcher Jade Hernandez, moved one step closer to their goal with an 11-0 win over Pioneer High last Friday.

Hernandez took a perfect game into the top of the fifth inning when Abbie Morlet led off the frame with a base hit to right. Pilar Marquez then reached on an error before Hernandez struck out Dylan Villalobos, induced Isabella Copado into a groundout and struck out Aubrie Leon. Hernandez needed 56 pitches and struck out five for her fourth league shutout. It’s the second time she has allowed a hit, accomplishing that feat in a 6-0 win at Artesia High on Mar. 27.

“She didn’t even realize she was close [to a perfect game] until I told her after the game,” said Cerritos head coach Michelle Steck. “It’s one of those things where she goes out there and does what we ask her to do and takes care of things. That’s what most of these girls do. They buy in, they’re doing what we ask of them, they play as a team and they’re not playing selfishly. Honestly, that’s what makes the difference. She does have a lot of strikeouts, but at the same time when the ball is put in play, her defense behind her backs her up.”

Hernandez is one of five freshmen for Steck’s squad, which fields seven seniors, but only three played on varsity last season. In fact, only half a dozen players returned from last season’s 17-7 team that advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 semifinals.

“Obviously we knew our sophomores and what they did for us starting as freshmen,” said Steck. “We knew what they were capable of. Our freshmen…we knew a couple of them already from just knowing travel teams and stuff, and they played with people who have played with my daughters. [Assistant] coach Keith [Schwecke] and I coached Jade back in 10-Under all-stars. We had an idea about some of them; it was a matter of molding them and trying to get them to buy in and get them to understand how we do things here.”

The Dons, who roughed up Pioneer 16-2 on Apr. 2, wasted no time in getting on the board as senior second baseman Ava Ceron beat out a bunt on the second pitch she saw from Katelynn Gauthier and was sacrificed over by sophomore center fielder Demi Lagare. That was followed by consecutive triples from freshman right fielder Adelyn Archie, to the right field corner, and freshman catcher Daphne Linsangan, to the right field gap.

Hernandez got into the offensive party and singled to right field, bringing in Linsangan. Then in the second inning, Gauthier walked junior designated player Zoe Corrales with one out and Ceron bunted her way on base. After the second out was recorded, Archie deposited a two-run single to right field.

Any chance of the Titans, who have the inside shot of third place in the league, coming back in the game was dashed in the fourth when Cerritos sent 10 to the plate and scored half a dozen runs. Corrales reached on a bunt single in front of home and two batters later, scored on a double down the left field line from Lagare. Back to back singles from Archie and Linsangan and a sacrifice fly from Hernandez increased the score to 9-0.

Gauthier would walk freshman third baseman Alexis Ceron, who immediately scored in a double from freshman shortstop Emma Villegas, and she came in for the last run when senior first baseman Jeanine Mauricio singled to center.

Archie went three for three and drove in four runs as eight of the nine starters collected at least a hit, but all nine reached base as Cerritos posted its third shutout over Pioneer as members of the league. Entering the game, the Dons were batting .384 as a team and had six players batting over .350. They also had 30 stolen bases and added five more against the Titans.

“We take our hits in preseason, and we schedule hard because it helps get us ready for the league season and hopefully beyond,” said Steck. “Sometimes the numbers don’t look great on paper in preseason. But we’re seeing what they’re doing in practice; we’re seeing what they’re doing in a game and knowing that that’s realistically not normally what we face in league and not normally what we’re going to face in [the playoffs]…we know by playing those better teams is helping us get better even though we’re losing or getting crushed.”

How dominant have the Dons been in the 605 League, which began in the 2019 season? Including this past Tuesday’s 15-4 win over John Glenn High, which officially cliched another league title, they have won 64 of the 66 games, gone on league winning streaks of five, 43 and currently 16 games, and outscored their opponents 845-103. The two losses came to Artesia High in 2019, which was a big win for the Pioneers as they and Cerritos were co-league champs, and in 2024 to the Titans on the last day of the regular season.

The Dons will entertain Bishop Montgomery on Friday, La Serna High on Monday and Artesia on Tuesday to wrap up the regular season. Artesia is currently in second place.

“I think it’s a testament to the girls; I’m not the one playing,” said Steck of the dominance in league. “We’re here; we help them trying to get better and try to get them prepared. But at the end of the day, they’re the ones doing it. We’re just the ones guiding them, and before us, it was [former head coach] Todd [Denhart], who was phenomenal with them.

“Next year, it could be completely different with the leagues changing, she continued. “We might be the ones that is struggling, and that’s a real scenario and it kind of is what it is.”