Softball dropped a pair of games, 9-7 and 11-5.   to local rival Allan Hancock in today's Western State Conference doubleheader.  To open the day, the two teams traded a pair of two-run frames, until Allan Hancock broke open the game with five runs in the 5th inning, including three unearned tallies.  The Cougars chipped away at the lead by scoring in each of their next three turns at the plate, but the Bulldogs added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the 7th to seal the victory, 9-7.  In Game 2, the Cougars held a tenuous lead, 3-2, going into the 6th, when the wheels fell off.  The inning began with an error and then a force out that was debated and overturned.  The Bulldogs took advantage of their new life and proceeded to post eight runs on the shell-shocked Cougars.  Cuesta rallied for two more runs before the final out, but it was not their day, despite earning their share of star performances.    Returning All-WSC selections, Outfielder Emily Valdez (pict-L) and Catcher Mara Mazanec (pict-R), were the only players, on both teams, to enjoy pair of multi-hit games in the twinbill.  Valdez, who injured her foot in the first game, played through the pain to go 5-for-10 on the day, including a triple and a homer, while both scoring and driving in a pair of runs.  Mazanec, who split time at Catcher and in Centerfield, went 5-for-8 at the plate, while scoring three times and driving in a run in each game.  The losses dropped the Cougars to 22-16 on the season, while sliding to 9-5 and 3^rd place in WSC play.

The Cougars entered the day with a 1.5-game lead over the Bulldogs, but that has flipped as Allan Hancock, with a 1.5 game lead over Cuesta, has now moved into second place behind undefeated loop-leader Ventura.  The Cougars have only one more conference game left on their schedule, at Moorpark on April 20 (2:30), while the Bulldogs have a pair of games against both Ventura and Moorpark, as well as six non-conference games, for a total ten games over the last 12 days of the regular season.  Cuesta will need a pair of wins over the Raiders and some help against the Bulldogs from the rest of WSC, if they are to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015.