Cougars Split Opening Day Doubleheader With Bucs

Cougars Split Opening Day Doubleheader With Bucs

Baseball split a doubleheader at Ventura, 3-5 and 3-0, in their first official action of the 2020-21 campaign.  The host Pirates outlasted the Cougars in the opener.  They rallied to tie the game in the 9th and won with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 16th inning to beat Cuesta, 5-3.  Returning Pitcher Jared Villalobos struckout 14 batters over eight innings of work in the opener, before handing a 2-1 lead to the bullpen.  In the nightcap, Cuesta's pitching staff kept the Bucs' line-up in check with a shutout, 3-0, to pull even with their conference rival.   In Game 2, Starting Pitcher Tino Triest-Escobar combined with Relievers Nico Martinez and Lucas Climer for the shutout victory.  Infielder Justice Gibbons helped power the offense with a pair of multi-hit games.  Gibbons was 4-for-8 with one run scored and two driven in on the day.  The Cougars are 1-1 on the season. 

Cuesta Baseball has four games lined up this week, including two against local rival Allan Hancock.  The Cougars host the Bulldogs on Tuesday (3 PM) and travel to Santa Maria on Thursday (2:30).  On Saturday, the Cuesta Nine is back on the road for a doubleheader at Oxnard (11:30 & 2:30).