Cuesta Softball figured out Santa Barbara City's Ace and posted an 11-3 run-rule victory (8-run lead after five innings) on the Vaqueros to keep their playoff hopes alive.  A month ago, the Vaqueros hosted the Cougars and their Ace, Alena Johnson, held them to one run on one hit as Santa Barbara took the game, 4-1.  Today, the Cougars feasted on the same pitching to the tune of 11 runs on ten hits, including three doubles.    Infielders Danya Boyd, Maddie Sheadel (pict) and Addison Finegan each posted a single and double in the game to account for six of the Cougars' ten hits, while also Sheadel also posted her season-high with four runs driven in.  The Cougars opened the scoring with Boyd smacking a two-out RBI-Single in the 1st inning and being immediately driven in on Finegan's Bingle.  The Vaqueros tacked up a run in both the 2nd and 3rd innings to briefly take the lead, 2-1, but the Cougars pounded out four runs in the 3rd inning and exploded for six more in the more in the 4th to go up by eight runs.  With the comfort of a big lead, Pitcher Shelbi Griffith held the Vaqueros scoreless in the 5th to post her 13th complete game of the season, while also earning a team-leading 9th victory in the Circle.  The win moved the Cougars to 21-13 overall and 9-4 in WSC play.  

The Cougars are currently in Third place in the Western State Conference standings, two games behind loop-leader Ventura and a game behind Runner-up Moorpark with one game to play. The Cougars cannot catch Ventura, however, by-rule, the top two (2) teams in the WSC circuit earn an automatic bid to the post-season.  The Cougars, who claimed that spot in route to the playoffs in 2024, end the regular season at Santa Monica, who they beat 26-2 on March 27, next Tuesday (2:30), while Moorpark travels to Santa Barbara to face the same Vaqueros that Cuesta beat today.