Nunes Delivers Game-Winning Hit, Hancock Splits Doubleheader at Cuesta in First Place Showdown
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Tawny Nunes singled home Missy Regalado in the sixth inning with what proved to be the winning run for the Allan Hancock College softball team to split a doubleheader at Cuesta College in a battle for first place on Tuesday afternoon.
Hancock split the twin bill by taking the second game 3-2 after dropping the opener 5-1. The Bulldogs are 6-2 in Western State Conference play, half a game behind first place Cuesta, which is 7-2 in conference games. Hancock is 17-8 overall, while Cuesta is 20-10 on the season.
Nunes delivered a two-out single in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie and give Hancock a 3-2 lead. Hancock scored the first run of the game on a solo home run from Katie Chenault, her fifth of the season. Jessica Rothanzl went deep with a solo blast of her own in the fourth inning, her third longball of the year, to stake Hancock to a 2-0 lead. Cuesta tied it with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to set the stage for Nunes' go-ahead single.
Rothanzl went 2 for 3 in the second game with a RBI. Chenault, Nunes and Tiana McWhorter had one hit apiece. Chenault, a freshman pitcher, earned the win in the second game. She scattered two hits and allowed two runs, one of which was earned. She walked two and struck out nine Cougars to improve to 17-7 on the season.
Chenault went 3 for 4 in the first game. Paige Cosand supplied Hancock's lone run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning to score Rothanzl.
The Cougars scored twice in the bottom of the first and added three more in the sixth against Chenault to take the opening game. The Cougars out-hit the Bulldogs 6 to 4 in the opener. Monica Garcia, Bre Ojala and Jeananne Ruck had two hits apiece for Cuesta. Ruck drove in four runs via two home runs. She also earned the win with with six strikeouts in seven innings to improve to 11-3. Chenault took the loss after allowing five runs and six hits in six innings. She whiffed eight in the opener.
The Bulldogs travel to Ventura for a conference game on Thursday, March 27, at 2:30 p.m.