Cuesta, SBCC split conference title thanks to Allan Hancock

Posted: Apr 27, 2012 9:44 PM by Andrew Masuda
Updated: Apr 27, 2012 11:36 PM

Hancock wins, helps Cuesta and SBCC share title

The Cuesta and Santa Barbara City College baseball teams clinched a share of the Western State Conference title on Friday in their regular season finales. But the titles only came with the help of their rivals from Allan Hancock College.

Cuesta and SBCC started the day tied for second and half a game behind Moorpark in the standings. The Bulldogs beat first place Moorpark 3-0 to drop the Raiders to 11-8. The Moorpark loss coupled with victories from Cuesta and SBCC wrapped up the titles for the rivals. It is the Cougars first title in four years, and SBCC's second-straight.

The Cougars beat Ventura 10-8, while the Vaqueros beat Oxnard 4-1 to finish 12-8 in league.

Cuesta scored 3 runs in the eighth inning to take the lead for good. The Cougars fell behind early 3-0, but built a 6-3 lead with 3 runs in the second and in the third. After Ventura tied it with a 3 run seventh, LaBronze Sanderson and Michael Nieporte drove in runs with basehits in the eighth and Josh Miller added another run with a squeeze bunt.

Milled led the Cougars 13 hit attack with 3 hits and 3 RBI. Nieporte and Sanderson had 2 hits apiece.

Hancock won its final home game of the year behind sophomore righthander Joe Delfin. The Nipomo High graduate threw an eight-hit shutout with four strikeouts. The Bulldogs improved to 9-10 in Western State Conference play and 14-21 overall. River Stevens, the conference's leading hitter, led the Bulldogs with a 3 for 3 performance at the plate. He entered with a .443 batting average. Hancock closes out the season on Saturday at Moorpark. A win for the Raiders would force a three-way tie for the WSC title.

SBCC never trailed in its 4-1 win at OXnard. Rich McCaffrey earned the win with 7 shutout innings. He scattered 4 hits and struck out 8. Steven Reveles led the SBCC offense with 3 of the team's 8 hits. The Vaqueros finished the regular season 19-17 overall and 12-8 in league.

The Regional Playoffs start next week.