Baseball Hosts Hancock Series Finale at Noon on Thursday.

Baseball Hosts Hancock Series Finale at Noon on Thursday.

The third and final game of this week's Western State Conference series between local rivals Cuesta and Allan Hancock has been moved up to a Noon start on Thursday. 

The Cougars have taken the first two games the three-game series, after beating the Bulldogs, 6-3, in Santa Maria today.  The Cougars offense was led by Outfielders Ethan Royal and Alex Hagen, who both enjoyed three-hit days in the victory.  Royal, who is the Cougars' leadoff, went 3-for-4, including a Double, and scored twice, while Hagen came off the bench for his third start of the season to power the Cougars' victory.  He went 3-for-4, including a pair of Doubles and a Triple, and drove in four of Cuesta's six runs.  On the mound, Freshman Luigi Albano-Dito went the distance for his second win of the season. Albano-Dito struckout six Bulldogs, while scattering seven hits.  The Bulldogs scored all three of their runs in the first three innings, before Albano-Dito settled down to hold the host team to only two more safeties over the last six innings.  The victory puts the Cougars a half-game ahead of the Bulldogs in the WSC standings, so the winner of tomorrow's game at high Noon will take control of the WSC circuit.