Hancock College/s pitching had been good most of the season.

The Bulldogs/ pitchers took a beating Saturday.

Cuesta racked up 16 hits, including six doubles and two home runs, and defeated its archrival 14-9 in a Western State Conference North Division game on a windy day at Hancock.

Cuesta is 4-7 in the WSC North and 6-11 overall. Hancock is 7-4, 10-7. The Bulldogs were in first place, leading Santa Barbara by a game, before Saturday.

The Bulldogs had 15 hits, including two home runs and a triple, but Cuesta/s hitters outdid them.

Hancock starter Jerimiah Ventresca faced the minimum eight batters his first 2 2/3 innings. Then he lost his momentum and the Bulldogs/ other four pitchers never gained any.

Of Ventresca in particular Hancock coach Chris Stevens said, "He lost control of his off-speed pitches the latter part of his innings." Ventresca lasted just four innings.

Of his pitchers in general, Stevens said, "We made some bad pitches at critical points in the count, left some over the plate, and their hitters did a good job of making adjustments."

The victory was Cuesta/s first in three games this year against the Bulldogs. Traditionally the scourge of the WSC North, the Cougars have been also-rans so far in the young season.

They will not remain also-rans if they keep hitting the way they did Saturday.

Two former St. Joseph players did their share of damage against the Bulldogs. Cuesta sophomore shortstop Dustin Kelly scored four times, doubled and hit a solo home run.

Sophomore pinch hitter Tim Regnier, who played for Stevens last year, doubled in a run in the seventh inning and smacked a three-run home run in the eighth to make the score 12-5.

Hancock relief pitcher Jacob Kougl, as did the rest of the Bulldogs/ pitchers, had looked uncharacteristically shaky during his inning of work, the eighth. Still, he should have gotten out of the inning unscathed.

Mike Brown hit what looked like a sure inning ending double play ball to shortstop Ben Hodges. But Hodges stumbled before he could get the throw to second baseman Jason Carlson for the force out, and Brown beat Carlson/s throw to first.

Jimmy Gardiner scored on the play, and Regnier followed with his three-run homer over the center field fence.

Stevens did not see Regnier/s homer as a game breaker. He said there were so many hits, there was no game breaker.

The wind blew out toward center field all afternoon but, "In my mind, the wind was a non-factor," Stevens said. "They were playing in it too."

Jacob Roe gave Hancock faint hope when he hit a three-run homer in the ninth to account for the Bulldogs/ last runs. But Cuesta reliever Marcus Martinez struck out Marc Verbryke, who tripled in a sixth-inning run, looking to end the game.

The hitting overshadowed the defenses, but Cuesta third baseman Andreas Madsen did rob the Bulldogs of two runs.

He reached high to spear Adam Cole/s one-out line drive and then threw to second baseman Wes Pereira for a double play in the first inning. In the third, he made a diving stop of Eric Bowman/s ground ball and threw him out at first. Bowman hit a two-run single in the seventh.

Cole hit a solo home run for the Bulldogs in the sixth inning. Chuy Frausto had three singles for Hancock.

Gardiner, Kelly, Regnier, Brown, Brian Aguailar and Wes Pereira all had two hits for Cuesta.

Hancock and Cuesta play at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Cuesta.

Stanford 3, Cal Poly 1

PALO ALTO 7 The top-ranked Cardinal (19-3) scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the second inning and clinched its 11th straight series.

The Mustangs (22-11-1) struck first. In the first inning, Adam Leavitt, Chalon Tietje and Cory Tallion all singled to produce a run.

Cal Poly had runners on first and third with one out in the top of the ninth. But Billy Saul struck out and Sam Herbert flied out.

The teams conclude their three-game series at Sunken Diamond today. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m. The Mustangs have not lost three straight yet this season.

Track

Fresno City Invitational

FRESNO 7 Hancock College/s Latiffia Taylor won the women/s 100 meter dash in 12.50 and took the 100 hurdles at this meet, which took place at Fresno City College.

Taylor finished third in 26.09 in the 100 and fourth with a 34-10 1/2 in the triple jump.

Hancock freshman Bobbie Patton, a Rigehtti graduate, won the shot put at 42-10 and finished fourth at 121 feet even in the discus.

For the Hancock men, Trevor Shamblee finished fifth in both the 100 (11.20) and the 200 (22.62).

Teammate Raul Guzman finished sixth in 24.45 in the 200. The Bulldogs participate at 2 p.m. Friday in a Western State Conference meet at Cuesta.

March 28, 2004