Cuesta Baseball ended the 2021 campaign with a 2-7 overall record, but the team's biggest struggle was against local rival Allan Hancock.  The Cougars and Bulldogs played five times this Spring and Allan Hancock's two wins on Saturday completed their season sweep.  The Cougars entered the 2021 season with a 15-4 series advantage over the Bulldogs over the past five seasons. 

GAME ONE: ALLAN HANCOCK 6, CUESTA 3

Allan Hancock's Vander Hodges and Cuesta Jared Villalobos settled into a 7-inning pitcher's duel, as both hurlers went the distance.  Villalobos, who has been one of the Cougars' most effective pitchers the past two seasons, took a while to find his groove and issued leadoff walk followed by a hit batsman. Both runners came around to score on a 1st inning single to put the Cougars in an early hole.  Catcher AJ Esperanza cut the Bulldogs lead in half with a solo home run in the 2nd inning and Kirk Woolf tied the game, 3-3, when he reached base on his RBI-Double and later scored on a wild pitch.  Allan Hancock re-took the lead with a run in the 5th inning, but the Cougars were out of hits for the day and managed only one more baserunner over the finals four frames.  The Bulldogs added two insurance runs in the 6th to put the game out of reach, 6-3.  

GAME TWO: ALLAN HANCOCK 8, CUESTA 1

In the nightcap, the Cougars took the lead during their first at-bat by manufacturing a run off an error, a stolen base and a RBI-groundout.  Centerfielder Kirk Woolf's first inning tally was the only offense allowed by the games starting pitchers- Cuesta's Nico Martinez and Allan Hancock's Matthew Gonzales.  The two pitchers combined to allow only seven players to reach base in the first five innings, however Cuesta, in the final game of the season, went ot the bullpen in the 6th inning.  The Cougars replaced Martinez, while Gonzales settled in to record a complete game.  The Bulldogs immediately took the lead when Game 1 pitcher Vander Hodges connect on a two-run home run in the 6th inning,  Allan Hancock, with the lead secure, then took advantage of four Cuesta errors to add six insurance runs in the final two frames. The Cougars' offense was unable to muster a comeback as Gonzales, despite allowing a run to the game's leadoff batter, held the Cougars hitless on the day.  

UP NEXT:

Cuesta Baseball has concluded its 2020-21 competition schedule.