Baseball took a second straight game from visiting Ventura, 12-4, and climbed back into sole possession of second place in the Western State Conference standings.  Cuesta's Starting Pitcher Jackson Cloud improved to 4-0 on the season, after allowing only one earned run and striking out eight Pirates during his eight innings on the mound.  Cloud controlled the game from the hill, but it was the Cougars' offense that should get a lot of the credit for the triumph.  The Cougars' batsmen combined for 14 hits, including eight for extra-bases, and eight players either scored or drove in a run- or both!  Leadoff Hitter Ethan Royal was a menace for the Bucs.  He went 3-for-5, including a triple, while scoring three times and driving in two runs.  Rightfielder Mattias Sessing (pict), Shortstop Victor Heredia, and First Baseman Zachary Tallerman followed, in order, behind Royal in the Cougars line-up and all three connected for a home run in the contest.  Everything fell into place in the first inning to set the stage.  Royal singled and stole second, before scoring on an RBI-single by Sessing.  Sessing scored on a triple by Heredia and Tallerman cleared the bases with a home run for a 4-0 lead.  Ventura's Shortstop Reese Calvin answered with a solo home run in the 3rd inning and the Pirates threatened after scoring twice in the 6th to close the gap, 5-3, however that is when Sessing and Heredia stepped up.  After the stretch, Sessing plated Royal on a two-run home run and kicked off a four-run inning to put the game out of reach.  In the 8th, Heredia followed Royal's triple with a home run of his own to remove any doubt of the outcome.  The win improved the Cougars' overall record to 10-7-1 on the season and 4-2 in Western State Conference play, which is two-games behind local rival and current loop leader Allan Hancock.

Cuesta has shuffled its schedule for the rest of this week in an attempt to avoid poor weather.  The Cougars are set to play three games with Allan Hancock over the next three days.  The Cougars host the Bulldogs on both Tuesday (2 PM) and Thursday (2 PM), while also spending Wednesday (2 PM) in Santa Maria.  

Cuesta Baseball Schedule (Revised)- https://www.cuestaathletics.com/sports/bsb/2022-23/schedule