The Cuesta Cougars (1-2) fell behind in the first inning of their 2021 Home Opener and, despite matching Allan Hancock (1-1) with nine hits each on the day, they were unable to catch up on the scoreboard, 8-1. In the first inning, the Bulldogs' Travis Welker provided Hancock with the lead for good, when his one-out double was followed by Jeff Ray's RBI-single two batters later. The Bulldogs piled up eight runs off three Cuesta hurlers in the first six innings, before Cuesta pushed a run across in the 8th inning to avoid the shutout. Second Baseman Nicholas Castro turned his 8th inning base-hit into the Cougars' lone run after botched double-play attempt by the Bulldogs two batter later. Castro joined Leftfielder Lucas Climer as the only Cougars to enjoy a multi-hit day; they both had a pair of singles on the day to lead the Cougars' offense. Allan Hancock Pitcher Travor Garcia earned the victory, while Cuesta Starter Shane Johnson was saddled with the loss.
The Cougars and Bulldogs meet again on Thursday, April 15, at John Osborne Field in Santa Maria. First pitch is set for 2:30 PM