Dramatic come-from-behind wins are a thing of beauty, and heartbreakers for those who fall victim. The Ventura College softball team got to experience the beauty and heartbreak of come-from-behind wins from both perspectives as they split a doubleheader with Cuesta College on March 16 at the Ventura Sports Complex.

The Pirates (16-7, 8-2 Western State Conference) were able to rally in the seventh inning of game one to tie the Cougars (10-11, 5-4) and eventually win 8-7 in extra innings.

In the second game, the Cougars got a sweet taste of revenge in a seventh inning rally of their own to beat the Pirates 5-3 in game two.

Pirates’ head coach Susan Johnson was excited for her team’s win in game one.

“It showed we had heart,” she said.

In game one, the Cougars got off to a fast start, scoring five runs in the second inning, which included an inside-the-park homerun. The Cougars added another run in the third to take a decisive 6-0 lead.

However, the Pirates did not quit and were able to get back in the game with a four-run fifth inning.

The Pirates’ Shianne Sharpe hit a three-run triple to get runs on the board, before she scored a run to cap off the inning.

In the seventh inning, the Pirates had another offensive surge, executing offensively, before the three-run inning tied the game at seven.

The Pirates’ Sabrina Gonzalez hit a walk-off single in the tenth inning to complete the comeback.

In game two, the Cougars flipped the switch with a comeback in the seventh inning. The Cougars were able to score all five of their runs with two outs.

Johnson saw herself on the other end of the stick in game two.

“I was disappointed,” she said. “You never want to end the game that way.”

However, Johnson was proud of the way her team was able to perform offensively.

“We’re a good hitting team in the zone,” she said. “We were a good hitting team [in game 1].”