East Union, Oakdale receive top seeds in Division III softball

Two regular-season games decided on the final swings weren’t enough.

The Oakdale and East Union softball programs needed a coin flip Thursday morning to decide the Valley Oak League’s No. 1 seed.

The state-ranked Lancers (23-1) won the flip and a place atop the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III bracket.

No. 1 East Union will open against No. 16 Sacramento on Tuesday at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

Brackets were released for all seven divisions on Thursday. Ripon and Big Valley Christian joined East Union as No. 1 seeds in Division V and VII, respectively.

Oakdale (19-1), which beat short-handed East Union 1-0 in 10 innings on Tuesday to earn a share of the VOL title, didn’t fall far in the Division III bracket.

The Mustangs are seeded second and wouldn’t face their league rival until the semifinals. Oakdale drew No. 15 Cordova.

In other D-III games, No. 3 Ceres (18-4) will face No. 14 American Canyon, while No. 12 El Capitan (14-7-2) tangles with No. 5 Benicia.

Prediction: Oakdale.

Division I

Story line: No. 6 Gregori (15-6) surges into the postseason on an 11-game winning streak. The Jaguars blitzed the Modesto Metro Conference, completing their first perfect run with an 8-2 victory over Downey. In 12 conference games, Gregori allowed just three runs. The Jaguars, who own a 9-2 win over No. 5 Tracy, will open against No. 11 Franklin of Elk Grove on Thursday at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

Also: In her final postseason trip, Merced ace Madilyn Nickles seeks the only accolade that has evaded her during a decorated four-year career – a section title. The six-time Central California Conference champions are seeded fourth. First up: No. 13 Enochs (13-7).

Prediction: Sheldon.

Division II

Story line: Despite its losing record, Pitman (10-14) snuck into the playoffs with a 5-4 win over rival Turlock. The Pride hasn’t been given much chance to stick around, though. No. 16 Pitman opens against top-seeded Rocklin on Wednesday at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

Also: If you’re looking for an early upset, keep close watch on No. 10 Atwater (16-6), which drew No. 7 St. Mary’s. The Falcons fly into the postseason on a nine-game winning streak, including a 2-0 victory over Merced (19-5) on April 28. The Bears are ranked 13th in the section, five spots ahead of St. Mary’s, by MaxPreps.

Prediction: Rocklin.

Division IV

Story line: Hughson (11-9) moves up to Division IV after winning five consecutive D-V titles. The 11th-seeded Huskies begin Monday with an outbracket game against No. 6 Placer. The winner draws No. 3 Los Banos (21-3), which shared the Western Athletic Conference title with Ceres.

Also: No. 1 Bear River faces a possible second-round showdown against Lindsey Walljasper and No. 4 Sierra (13-4), a three-time section champion. The Timberwolves open against No. 5 Lindhurst next Thursday. ... Other outbracket games include No. 8 Calaveras (20-3) vs. No. 9 Liberty Ranch and No. 7 Union Mine vs. No. 10 Manteca (14-9).

Prediction: Sierra.

Division V

Story line: Is this the year Ripon (18-3) finally breaks through for its first section championship? The top-seeded Indians are the clear favorite now that Hughson has moved up one division. Ripon, led by senior pitcher Danielle Sperry and junior bopper Mikaela Ferreira, begins its quest against No. 8 Orestimba (10-12) on Wednesday at the Arnaiz Softball Complex in Stockton.

Also: No. 3 Escalon (20-6) opens against No. 6 Summerville (11-10), while No. 7 Riverbank (10-7) looks to knock off No. 2 Marysville.

Prediction: Ripon.

Division VI

Story line: If you’re looking for the smart play in this division, take a Southern League team to reach the final. In fact, take two. For five straight years – and six of the last seven – the Southern League has turned the D-VI final into a grudge match. Two-time defending champion Mariposa beat Waterford 2-0 in last year’s championship game.

Also: Second-seeded Mariposa (21-2-1) opens against No. 7 Western Sierra on Tuesday at Arnaiz Softball Complex, while No. 4 Waterford (17-7-1) plays No. 5 Foresthill. No. 8 Gustine (8-16) draws top-seeded Millennium.

Prediction: Waterford.

Division VII

Story line: No. 1 Big Valley Christian (13-6) seeks its second Division VII title in three seasons. The Lions will open against No. 8 Holt Academy on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Arnaiz Softball Complex.

Also: No. 2 Stone Ridge Christian (12-4-1) wouldn’t face Central California Athletic Alliance nemesis Big Valley Christian until the final. That’s good. The Lions swept the season series with against the Knights.

Prediction: Big Valley Christian.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 6:04 PM with the headline "East Union, Oakdale receive top seeds in Division III softball."