Cuesta Baseball, ranked 8th in the State, is hosting #1 Saddleback this week for a three-game series. Today's series opener kicked off the series with a bang. The contest featured five lead changes with a combined eight pitchers, six home runs to create five lead changes on its way to a Cuesta victory, 11-9. The visiting Bobcats opened the series by scoring three unearned runs in the 2nd inning, however Cuesta's Third Baseman Mikey Bell stepped up to cut the lead after his solo home run in the bottom of the inning. Cuesta Starter Jackson Cloud settled in after the first inning and recorded seven straight outs, while Outfielder Jack Clothier connected for a two-run home run to tie the game in the 4th. Cloud left the game in the 5th, following a lead-changing Home Run by the Bobcats' Makani Tanaka, which gave the lead back to Saddleback. Of course, no lead was truly safe against these two offensive powerhouses. Cuesta's Makani Nabarro joined teammate Hayden Kline (pict) to bracket the 7th-inning stretch with a pair of two-run homers to tie the game. The Cougars used Relievers Austin Taylor and Justin Cortez to hold Saddleback's bats in check the rest of the way, as they earned the winning decision and a save respectively. In the meantime, Cuesta Pinch-hitter Nathan Reese connected for the Cougars' 5th home run to take the lead for good, while Bell came back to cap the game with an RBI-single to provide the final margin of victory, 9-7. Both the Cougars and Bobcats are 6-3 on the season.
The Cougars and Bobcats played the opener today and have moved Saturday's game to tomorrow for a doubleheader (10/2 PM
