Vaqueros Win Crucial Series Against Cuesta

By Jimmy Friery

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The Santa Barbara City College Baseball team (8-9, 4-2) won this week's three-game series against conference rivals Cuesta, dropping the first before emphatically winning the final two.

The two teams will meet one final time on April 16 at Pershing Park, where the Vaqueros could lock in the head-to-head tiebreaker—should that matter—while vying for their third consecutive Western State Conference-North title.

Tuesday, game one: Cuesta 17, Santa Barbara 13

The first game of the series, at Cuesta, was a wild one. The hosts scored 10 in the third inning, their biggest lead being 12-3. But the Vaqueros nearly came all the way back; after four runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings, they had the tying run on second before Cuesta escaped still up 13-11. Both teams tacked on a few more to get to the 17-13 final.

The teams combined for a whopping 35 hits. Sean Asperger had four of them, including a homer and a walk, while leadoff hitter William Matuszak had three, also including a homer, with four RBIs.

Thursday, game two: Santa Barbara 9, Cuesta 1

The Vaqueros needed nine pitchers to get through eight defensive innings on Tuesday, but only two were required in Thursday's home win. Jaxson Hoye and Max Collins did just what the team needed, scattering four hits and striking out 10 while allowing just a lone run. More importantly, they gave the pitching staff a breather and lessened the strain on the offense.

Capturing early momentum, Santa Barbara scored two in the bottom of the first, followed by another two in the third. Asperger and Matuszak homered again in the fifth and sixth, both of the two-run variety, and a Ryder Samuels RBI single in the seventh made it a 9-0 blowout.

Cuesta got a consolation run in the eighth, only disappointing to the Vaqueros as it eliminated the shutout.

Bradley Cekada and Parker Hellekson each led the team with two hits. Cole Ide reached base three times with a hit and two walks.

Saturday, game three: Santa Barbara 6, Cuesta 3

As the series traveled back to San Luis Obispo for the rubber match, the Vaqueros were determined to make an early statement. Ide's three-run first-inning homer set the tone, but the hosts would not go away easily.

Santa Barbara got out of a second-and-third, one-out situation in the second allowing just one run. Elijah Garcia's RBI single made it 4-1 in the third, but the Vaqueros coughed up three errors and two wild pitches in the bottom half, making the score 4-3.

Two-way player Wylan Nelson did not let that inning faze him, though. The only real pressure he faced thereafter was in the fifth, inducing a two-out groundout with the bases loaded. His final line was seven innings allowing one earned run via six baserunners, earning the win.

The offense helped his cause, plating two insurance runs in the eighth. Matuszak's RBI single and Cekada's bases-loaded walk made it 6-3 as John Gurley came on for the two-inning save. The only baserunner he allowed was a two-out single in the eighth, but nonetheless secured a crucial road win for the Vaqueros.

Nelson—again, the winning pitcher—was the only player on either team with two hits, one of which was a double. Cekada reached base three times, all via walk.

Santa Barbara is due for another three-game conference series this coming week following the same Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday format. They host Oxnard at home on Tuesday and Saturday with Thursday being the road game.