East Union hasn't had much luck against Oakdale recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Lancers will square off against the Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
East Union is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Vanden a 10-0 shutout. The Lancers not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 7th (when they won 10-0).
Blake Mount
| 05/07/25 vs Vanden | 5 |
| 04/23/25 @ Manteca | 4 |
| 04/16/25 vs Oakdale | 3 |
| 04/09/25 @ Mountain House | 1 |
| 04/02/25 vs Sierra | 12 |
Blake Mount made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. He has become a key player for East Union: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 11-14 otherwise.
In other batting news, Kirk Simoni was excellent, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. East Union is undefeated when Simoni posts two or more runs, but 12-14 otherwise. Peyton Heath was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
East Union always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Oakdale came tearing into Wednesday's game with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Tigers 10-0. The Mustangs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 contests by six runs or more this season.
Not much got past Landon Schutte, who gave up just three hits and racked up 13 Ks to keep Los Banos off the board. Schutte has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Griffin Costa, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Haver, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Oakdale's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-9. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for East Union, they now have a winning record of 15-14.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. East Union has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Oakdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
East Union came up short against Oakdale in their previous meeting back in April, falling 8-4. Can the Lancers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
