Beeville, Tx-  Hitting a round moving object with a round moving object is one of the hardest things to do in athletics at any level; this is why the Baseball Hall of Fame is full of players who did that between 30 and 40% of the time.  So when the Cougars took the field on Thursday afternoon vs. San Jacinto College, the deck was already stacked against them.  Add to that the fact that they had to face San Jacinto's Jackson Rutledge - a big right handed pitcher with a 100+ fastball - who is expected to be a number one pick in the upcoming Major League Baseball amateur draft.   

If that wasn't enough, mother nature added insult to injury by sending a steady 20 MPH breeze blowing into Joe Hunter Field.  Cougar catcher Cooper Coe and third baseman Bo Gonzales were both victimized by that wind, as they tagged Rutledge fastballs for shots to the left and center field fence that on any other day would have been homeruns; today they were just another Cougar out.  The game was a pitchers dual early, as CBC sophomore Marco Becerril pitched kept the Gators hitless over the first three ininings.  A series of errors allowed SJC to take a 2-0 lead. Luis Martinez came on to spell Becerril and was outstanding striking out six gators.

But the day belonged to the San Jac staff and especially Rutledge, who went 6 2/3 innings of no hit baseball and 10 strikeouts.  All under the watchful eye of Hall of Famer and south Texas native Nolan Ryan and around 20 major league scouts.  

The Cougars will be back in action Wednesday, when the most important series of the season begins up in Tyler.  The Cougars and the Tyler Junior College Apaches will kick off their seven game series to determine the Region XIV - Division III Championship, the number one seed in the District C championship tournament the host role of said tournament.  TJC will host four games this week, before CBC hosts the final three games at Joe Hunter Field on May 2nd, 3rd and 4th.