Cuesta scored three unearned runs in the first three innings in Monday’s rain makeup and went on to beat SBCC 4-3 in a WSC North baseball game in San Luis Obispo.
No. 5 SBCC had its five-game win streak snapped and fell to 23-7 overall and 12-6 in conference. No. 4 Oxnard leads the WSC North at 13-5, one game ahead of the Vaqueros and two clear of Cuesta (11-7).
Santa Barbara and Cuesta split their four-game series 2-2 with each team winning twice on their home field.
After falling behind 4-1, the Vaqueros got a run in the eighth on a single by Brandon Evans and an RBI double by James Hill. They cut the deficit to 4-3 in the ninth on an RBI single by Evans and had runners at second and third with two outs. James Kannenberg came on in relief and got Hill on a groundout to notch his seventh save.
“We beat ourselves by giving up three unearned runs and leaving 10 guys on base,” said coach Jeff Walker. “It was poor execution, the defense let us down and we couldn’t come through with the big hit.”
Sean Barry went the first six innings for SBCC, allowing three runs (none earned) on four hits with three walks and a strikeout. Evans went 2-4 with an RBI for the Vaqueros, who will play four games in six days this week.
They travel to L.A. Pierce on Tuesday, host the Brahmas on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. and then go to Ventura for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
