Cuesta baseball scraped a run across the plate with two outs in the first inning, not knowing that was all they would need for the win over Oxnard, 10-0, Cuesta used four pitchers in the game, but Starter Andrew Seibert (pict) set the pace and earned the decision by authoring the first six innings of the shutout. Seibert allowed only three baserunners over the span and struckout five Condors on his way to victory. The Cougars bullpen by committee of Woody Brennan, Justin Cortez and Carson Tanner combined to face only ten batters as they shared the last three frames to complete the shutout, while the offense did the rest. After their initial run in the first inning, Cuesta's sluggers took control of the game with four runs in the 3rd inning and added a pair of insurance runs in each of their last turns at-bat. Sophomore Outfielder Jack Clothier did the bulk of the damage by going 3-for-4, including a Double and Triple, and scoring four times. The Cougars' corner infielders, Third Baseman Mikey Bell and First Baseman Pranav Sundar followed Clothier in the batting order and helped him find his way home. Both Sluggers were able to join Clothier to give the Cougars a team-total of three Triples in the game, while Bell both scored and drove in a pair of runs and Sundar scored once and delivered three RBI. Centerfielder Nathan Reese also enjoyed a multi-hit game, while Hayden Kline entered the game as a pinch-hitter after the stretch and still had time to go two-for-two with one run scored and another driven in. The victory lifted the Cougars' season record to 25-7 and kept them a half-game ahead of Santa Barbara, 13-3 to 13-4, in the Western State Conference (WSC) standings.
The Cougars complete their final in-season series this Friday (2:30) against the Condors in Oxnard. Next week Cuesta begins the final swing through the WSC, where they play a single game against each member of the circuit. The Cougars will open the round at Santa Barbara on Tuesday (2:30) and then host Ventura for a modified doubleheader on Thursday (1 PM). Before the Cougars and Pirates begin their scheduled game, they must complete their suspended game from March 4. That game was called due to darkness at the end of the 12th inning with the scored tied 6-6. The game shall be re-started at the point of interruption at the top of the 13th inning.
