Softball opened the 2023 campaign with two days at the Glendale Tournament.  The Cougars established themselves quickly with two wins on opening day.  The Cougars beat East LA, 9-1, and Antelope Valley, 12-1, in a dominant performance.  Cuesta has a strong core of veterans back from 2022 but only have rookies in the pitching circle.  Freshman Pitcher Bella Garcia healed the rubber in the opener and pitched a gem.  She hurled a perfect game until the final 5th and final inning, when an unearned run and single spoiled her debut.   Freshman Pitcher Hannah Hollingsworth followed Garcia's performance with another run-rule victory, this time in six innings, as the Cougars crushed Antelope Valley.  Hollingsworth went the distance but allowed a run in the second inning of her win.  On Saturday, the Cougars continued to flaunt their pitching depth as Freshman Pitcher Idalia Lopez went the distance to beat LA Valley, 8-4.  Host Glendale finally put the clamps on the Cougars in the tournament finale to win their own tournament with a 10-0 win over the Cougars in five innings.  The setback dropped the Cougars to 3-1. 

Softball is back in action this week with a tournament in Fresno on Tuesday.  Cuesta is scheduled to play Modesto (Noon) in the opener and then close against the host Rams (2 PM). The Cougars doubleheader against Taft, which was scheduled for SLO on Friday, has been cancelled.