Cuesta Softball hosted Ventura for a Western State Conference game and the visiting Pirates picked up the win, 10-1, in five innings.  In the first inning both teams went on the attack but had nothing to show for it.  The Pirates opened the game with a leadoff Single by Baylany Magana, but she was put out while trying to stretch her teammate's sacrifice bunt into two bases.  A flyball by the next batter sent the host Cougars to the plate.  In their turn, Cuesta used a walk, a failed fielder's choice and an error to load the bases with one out, but the Ventura made two straight plays at home to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard.  In the second inning, Ventura's Ashley Castaneda popped a solo home run for the first run of the game, but Cuesta bounced back to retire the rest of the side.  Over the next two and a half innings both teams combined for three hits and no runs, but that changed in the 5th inning.  Ventura exploded for nine runs in the 5th inning to boost their lead to double-digits, 10-0.  Cuesta Catcher Brielle Burt earned a Walk to lead-off the Bottom of the 5th, but the Cougars followed with a pop-up and a pair of strikeouts to close the run-rule loss, 10-0.  Ventura outhit their hosts on the day, 11-2, as Third Baseman Addison Finegan and Centerfielder Hailey Hallford each posted a safety for the hometown Cougars.  The setback dropped the Cuesta Softball back to .500 on the season, 8-8, and marked their first WSC defeat this year, 2-1. 

The Cougars host local rival Allan Hancock for a twice postponed contest on Wednesday (2:30) and return to the road for another WSC Contest at Santa Barbara on Friday (2:30), before ending the week with a non-conference twinbill in Reedley on Saturday (12/2 PM)