Roundup: Oakdale shuts out Manteca; two schools to play for softball section titles
The Oakdale softball team likes to play aggressively.
Sacrifice bunts early in the inning with zero outs and a runner on first, taking an extra base on a line drive to the outfield and stretching a single into a double is how the Mustangs have played all year and it has benefited them so far in the postseason.
In two games, Oakdale has outscored its opponents 23-0, most recently beating Valley Oak League opponent Manteca 13-0 in Thursday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division III quarterfinals.
“We try to be real aggressive with everything we do and put the pressure on the other team,” said Oakdale coach Larry Loger. “We want to take advantage of every little tiny step that we can … you never know when somebody’s going to step up and hit a home run and they’re right back in the game. We don’t want anybody getting back in the game so we have to be aggressive.”
Three Mustangs, all seniors, drove in two or more runs against Manteca. Danny Romo and Amanda Bricker had two and four RBIs respectively and Kylie Valente broke out of her hitting slump with one single, one triple and a team-high five RBIs.
“To come out here and finish the game with five RBIs, my confidence is (rising), my whole team’s picking me up and I think it’s making me less stressed,” Valente said. “I just can play my game when I know they have my back.”
The other side of Oakdale’s playoff dominance is its defense, highlighted by its pitching and junior Delainey Everett. She hasn’t allowed a hit or a run so far in the postseason and pitched four shutout innings with six strikeouts against the Buffaloes.
“My goal pretty much is just not to give up any runs at all,” Everett said. “I look for strikeouts and groundouts. It doesn’t always have to be this big thing, but just anything to get the out and not let anyone score runs.”
Thursday’s win leads to a semifinals matchup with a familiar opponent.
Second seed Central Catholic High School beat No. 7 Merced 4-1 behind 13 strikeouts from Randi Roelling.
The rivals are very familiar with each other after splitting the season series 1-1. Both games were close. Oakdale won the first meeting at home 1-0 and Central Catholic won its home game 2-1.
Both teams know it will take a combination of skill and timely hits to come away with a win Tuesday in Modesto.
“We just have to get some breaks at the right time,” Loger said. “We have to get a blooper, we have to get to hit at the right time. Your timing has to be perfect for everything.”
No. 1 Sheldon 10, No. 8 Gregori 0: The Jaguars held the top team in Division 1 to just two runs in the first two innings, but the Huskies broke the game open after putting up five runs in the bottom of the third. They struggled to figure out Delaware State signee Breanna Romero as she allowed just one hit and struck out eight Jaguars.
No. 2 Central Catholic 4, No. 7 Merced 1: Randi Roelling struck out 13 batters in the Raiders’ quarterfinals win over No. 7 Merced. She was one of four batters, joining Raegan Dickens, Emori Machado and Jazz Roberts responsible for the team’s four RBIs. They advance to Tuesday’s semifinal where they will play No. 3 Oakdale.
No. 4 Ripon 5, No. 5 Liberty Ranch 1: With both teams coming off of a bye, Ripon showed the least amount of rust in Thursday’s semifinal matchup with the Hawks. Sophomore Kharime Caratachea earned her 16th win, striking out 12 batters and allowing just two hits. Rhylee Magazinovic had two hits, three RBIs and was one of three Ripon batters to hit a home run.
No. 3 Orestimba 4, No. 6 Escalon 3: The Warriors took care of business after their quarterfinals bye against Escalon. Four different players drove in a run. Jacquelyn Lujan struck out 11 batters and led the offensive effort with two hits and one RBI. Orestimba will travel to Marrysville in a No. 2 vs No. 3 matchup on Tuesday for the chance to advance to the Division IV title game.
No. 1 Calaveras 10, No. 4 Riverbank 6: After beating Colfax at home in the quarterfinals, Riverbank couldn’t take its playoff success on the road against the top-seeded Calaveras. The Bruins couldn’t slow down their opponents’ offense as they allowed 13 hits with three doubles, three triples and one home run.
No. 3 Hilmar 12, No. 2 Linden 5: The Yellowjackets punched their ticket to their second Division V title game in three full seasons with Thursday’s win. Hilmar’s batters combined for six extra base hits off Linden pitchers with five doubles and one home run. They will look to win the school’s first ever softball title on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Delta Junior College.
No. 2 Big Valley Christian 10, No. 3 Vacaville Christian 0: Ava Hernandez struck out 10 batters as the sophomore led the Lions past Vacaville Christian to the Division VII championship. Big Valley Christian will appear in its fifth section title game since 2008 and look to win its third title. The Lions beat Millennium 4-2 in 2014 and Rio Vista 4-1 in 2016.
They will play first overall seed Stone Ridge Christian Saturday in a No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup at 11 a.m. at Delta Junior College.
Baseball
No. 1 Vanden 1 (2), No. 4 Central Catholic 0 (1): Sophomore Tyler Wentworth struck out 10 batters but a sixth inning shot over the fence from Vanden’s Tyler James ended up being the game’s deciding run. Senior Aiden Taylor and sophmore Fernando Alaniz had the Raiders’ two hits.
No. 6 Hughson 10 (2), No. 2 Linden 7 (1): The Huskies used two upsets to get to their first section title game since 2008. Freshman Robert McDaniel went a perfect 3-3 with one home run, one sacrifice and a season-high five RBIs. In order to bring home the program’s first section title, Hughson will need to pull off one more upset against No. 1 Bradshaw Christian, which has only allowed one run in the 2022 playoffs.
Boys Volleyball
No. 1 Ripon Christian 3, No. 4 Lincoln 1: The Knights showed no signs of rust after their first-round bye with Thursday’s CIF State NorCal Regional Semifinals win over the Mustangs 25-23, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23. They will play No. 3 Lowell in the Regional Finals on Saturday at 6 p.m.
