Oakdale offense erupts for 11 runs on 16 hits in run-rule D-IV playoff win
Senior year is full of lasts.
Players experience their last season opener, last tournament trips with their teammates, last push for a league title and they are honored on senior day during their last regular season home game.
During the regular season just over 20 games are guaranteed. In the Sac-Joaquin Section the top three league finishers advance to the postseason where their next game is not guaranteed.
Shortstop Reese Donaldson and the Oakdale softball team want to make sure they’re playing for as long as possible.
“I really want to take advantage of this opportunity, especially because we have so many seniors,” she said. “We’re all in this together and I think going really far would bring us even more together.”
The offense was red-hot as the No. 3 Mustangs (14-9) got off to a good start Wednesday in the opening round of the Division IV playoffs against No. 14 Placer (8-12). Oakdale exploded for 16 hits and scored multiple runs in the first, third and sixth innings en route to an 11-1 six-inning victory.
Donaldson led the charge as the team’s leadoff hitter. She tallied two hits and scored two runs. The University of Nebraska at Kearney signee led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, stole second and came around to score the game’s first run. She helped the Mustangs add to their lead in the second inning, lining a triple to center field and coming around to score on a throwing error.
“We feed off of each other,” Donaldson said of the Mustangs’ offense.
The Mustangs will host No. 6 Del Campo Friday. The Cougars beat Los Banos in Wednesday’s opener, 24-3.
The Mustangs’ offense consistently put pressure on Placer. Five players had at least two hits and four more added one hit apiece. Donaldson recorded a triple and scored two runs and five different Mustangs had doubles. Seven different players were responsible for Oakdale’s eight RBI, led by Ella Christensen who finished with two.
No one had a more productive offensive day than sophomore Saige Everett, who went 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI and scored three runs. It was the first game of her career with more than three hits and tied a career high for runs scored.
“I just knew I had to trust what I had been working on the last two weeks. We’ve had practice and I’ve had to just keep trusting myself,” Everett said. “When I saw a pitch I liked, I swung and it led me to good things.”
Senior pitcher Emily Thomasson started the game strong, recording three of her four strikeouts in the first inning. She worked with the Mustangs defense and senior catcher Taylor Lowry to retire nine straight Placer batters from the second to fourth innings.
Oakdale scored seven runs in the first four innings. After giving up one run in the top of the sixth, they answered with four in the bottom half. Lowry provided the walk-off hit — a double that scored senior pinch runner Charley Sphar.
“The first round is our opportunity to see where we stand,” Donaldson said. “I think we can bring that energy into the games after, which will really help us in the season.”
Donaldson was a sophomore when the Mustangs made their run to a Division III title two years ago. She and classmate Audrey Romiti played in the 3-2 extra innings win over Destiny Christian and can help guide a lineup with four freshmen and sophomores through the ups and downs of a postseason run.
They have one more guaranteed home game Friday. In the single-elimination tournament, the Mustangs have to be at their best each outing if they want their season to continue. Donaldson says the Mustangs will practice Thursday, where they celebrate the win but also prepare for their next opponent.
“We won sections my sophomore year so to do it again in my senior year would be pretty cool,” she said. “Any pointers I can, I give them to (the younger players). It’s really tough, especially at the end of the year … but I think the girls are pulling through and we are working together. Even if it’s a down day or a hard practice before a playoff game, we all have each other’s back and I think we can make it far with that mindset.”
More Softball Scores
Division I
Monday Play-in
No. 18 Edison-Stockton 9, No. 7 Turlock 7: The Bulldogs’ season came to an end Monday in the Division I play-in at home against Edison of Stockton. Three Bulldogs finished with doubles including junior Sophia Trujillo who had a double and a home run. Senior Abby Maxwell collected three hits and a team-high three RBI. Turlock’s comeback fell just short as they scored once in the first inning and went into the bottom of the seventh trailing 9-1 and scored six in the final frame.
No. 1 Whitney 10, No. 16 Central Valley 0: After winning Monday’s home play-in game 8-4 over Tokay, Central Valley hit the road to take on the division’s No. 1 seed Wildcats. Whitney pitchers Paige Tamblyn and Taylor Cordell combined for the no hitter. Central Valley finishes the season the No. 2 team in the Western Athletic Conference at 12-2 and 16-11 overall.
No. 5 Inderkum 9, No. 12 Gregori 5: The Jaguars scored all of their runs in the middle innings, putting up four in the fourth and one in the fifth of Wednesday’s road contest. They finished the top of the fifth inning in line for the upset, leading 5-2 but allowed seven unanswered runs in the final two innings. Gregori’s season concludes with a 13-13 overall record and 11-4 record in the CCAL.
No. 6 Franklin 9, No. 11 Enochs 1: Four Eagles tallied doubles and two finished with multi-hit games, but Enochs could only push across one seventh-inning run on the road Wednesday. Enochs ends 14-6 overall and 12-3 in CCAL play. They earned their second straight league title.
Division III
No. 9 Vista del Lago 13, No. 8 Ceres 3: Ceres scored once in the bottom of the fourth inning and twice in the bottom of the fifth in Wednesday’s six-inning loss to the Division III No. 9 seed. The Bulldogs won the WAC with a 13-1 record and finish the season 17-7-1 overall. They have just two graduating seniors from a playoff lineup that includes three freshmen, three juniors and a sophomore.
No. 6 Antelope 6, No. 11 Patterson 5: Patterson nearly staged a road upset after going into the top of the seventh inning trailing 6-3. In the top of the inning, they scored twice with one out, but could not bring the tying or game-winning runs to the plate. The Tigers finish 7-18 overall.
Division IV
No. 2 Central Catholic 13, No. 15 Lathrop 3: The Raiders and Spartans went into the bottom of the fifth inning tied, but then the bats woke up for the division’s No. 2 team. Central Catholic scored 10 runs in the bottom of the inning to seal the run-rule victory. The Raiders finished with 14 total hits. The Raiders on Friday host the D-IV No. 7 team, Roseville, which earned an 11-1 run rule win over Lindhurst.
Division V
No. 1 Hughson 14, No. 16 Mesa Verde 0: The Huskies scored five runs in the first and nine in the second and that was all they needed for the run-rule win. Four players had multi-RBI games and four finished with two hits. Pitchers Kylie Tangney and Emma Carne combined for the shutout. The top seed will not have to travel for the first three rounds. The Huskies host No. 8 Orestimba Friday at 4 p.m.
No. 8 Orestimba 13, No. 9 Union Mine 10: The Warriors scored six runs in the fifth inning to break open Wednesday’s shootout in the No. 8 vs No. 9 matchup. Union Mine scored four in the top of the seventh, but Orestimba got out of the inning with the win. Orestimba and former TVL foe Hughson matchup up in the semifinals Friday.
No. 11 Lincoln-Lincoln 10, No. 6 Ripon 3: Ripon could not hold the offense of the visiting Lincoln Zebras in check Wednesday, giving up six runs in the third and falling into a deficit they could not recover from. Ripon’s season ends with a 17-9 overall record.
No. 7 Escalon 11, No. 10 Woodland Christian 0: Six Cougars tallied multi-hit games led by UC Riverside commit Arianna Velasco who drove in three runs and had two triples. The Cougars travel to No. 2 Calaveras Friday to play for a shot at the section semifinals.
Division VI
No. 5 Hilmar 5, No. 12 Mariposa County 0: Hilmar’s offense pressed all game, scoring twice in the first, once in the fifth and twice in the sixth of Wednesday’s win. Freshman pitcher Amelia DeOliveira threw a three-hit shutout with a pair of strikeouts. The Yellowjackets advance and travel to Bradshaw Christian for a Friday matchup of the No. 4 and No. 5 teams.
No. 4 Bradshaw Christian 19, No. 13 Riverbank 0: The Bruins were shut out Wednesday in their final game of the season. Riverbank finishes 6-20 overall and 3-12 in league play.
No. 2 Argonaut 23, No. 15 Big Valley Christian 3: The Lions scored in the top of the first, third and fourth innings but had nine errors defensively in Wednesday’s first round loss. The Lions finish 4-19-1 overall.
Division VII
No. 5 Denair 22, No. 12 Aspire Langston Hughes Academy 0: Eight players recorded at least one hit and 11 finished with an RBI in their first-round rout. The No. 5 Coyotes travel to No. 4 Leroy Greene Friday. The Lions put up 30 runs in their first round matchup against No. 13 Humphreys Able Charter.
