Baseball overcame an early deficit, to beat Moorpark with eight unanswered runs, 8-2.  The victory puts Cuesta one win away from defending their 2022 Western State Conference title and giving Coach Bob Miller his 10th title with the Cougars.  The visiting Raiders drew first blood today with two runs in their first turn at the plate, but Cuesta Starter Justin Vose (pict) faced only 24 batters over the next seven innings before handing the final inning off to Reliever Conner Inman.  Vose struckout seven Raiders, while walking none, and improved to 5-1 on the season.  On offense, the Cougars used a pair of one-run innings to even the game by the third frame and took the lead for good with four runs in the 5th inning. The Cougars' big inning was capped by 2022 WSC Player of the Year Zachary Tallerman's two-run home run.  Tallerman's blast was his team-leading ninth of the year and 18th of his career, which moved him into 3rd place all time at Cuesta behind Aaron Davidson (33 HRs) and Yaron Peters (24).  Tallerman also enjoyed a single and a double among his game-high three hits, while three other Cougars also enjoyed a multi-hit game.  All-WSC Outfielder Ethan Royal connected for a pair of hits, including a home run, to go with his two-RBI, while Robert Mansour and Victor Heredia added a pair of doubles and a pair of singles, respectively.  The Cougars are currently 23-14-1 overall and back atop the Western State Conference with a 16-7 record against the circuit.  Cuesta and local rival Allan Hancock are tied for first place in the WSC, while Santa Barbara lingers a half-game back.  

Cuesta can clinch, at least, a piece of the WSC crown with a win at Oxnard this Saturday (1 PM) but will need help from the rest of the loop if the last place Condors prevail.  Allan Hancock shall also end the regular season on the road.  The Bulldogs play at Ventura on Friday, while Santa Barbara, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Bulldogs today, has two games left, but they get to play them both at home in Pershing Park.  The Vaqueros host Pierce on Friday (2:30) and Moorpark on Saturday (1 PM)

Photo Courtesy of Emily Valdez