Baseball is knotted in a three-team battle for the Western State Conference crown with two games left in the regular season. The Cougars host Moorpark on Thursday (2:30) and end the regular season at Oxnard on Saturday (1 PM). Cuesta can assure a post-season berth by winning a title, but they are currently trailing a suddenly red-hit Santa Barbara team and tied with local rival Allan Hancock for 2nd place in the WSC standings. The Vaqueros are riding a season-best seven-game winning streak and own a half-game lead over the Bulldogs and Cougars, but still have three games left to play this week, including a road game in Santa Maria.
Coming into today's game the only team in the conference with a winning record against Cuesta was second-division mainstay Los Angeles Pierce, currently in 6th place. The Brahmas beat the Cougars twice over the St Patrick's Day weekend; however, the Cougars were able to come from behind for a win today, 7-5, and even the season series. Cuesta took an early lead in the game, when All-WSC Centerfielder Ethan Royal (pict) leadoff with a double and scored on the next play but two innings later the Brahmas exploded for four runs, off five hits, to take the advantage and send the Cougars to the bullpen. Reliever Robinson Lardner put out the fire and shutdown the Brahmas as he scattered three hits and a walk, while striking out eight Brahmas, over the next five innings. He handed a three-run lead, thanks in part to a home run from Royal, to Shortstop-turned-Closer Victor Heredia. Heredia, despite allowing one run, preserved the Lardner's victory and earned the save. The Cougars are currently 22-14-1 overall and 14-7 in WSC play. The 7th-ranked Cougars remain ahead of both #10 Allan Hancock and #12 Santa Barbara in the CCCAA's Southern California Regional Poll.
