Oakdale and Manteca are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. Oakdale will challenge Manteca at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Manteca will be up against a hot Oakdale squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Oakdale blew past Sierra 8-2 on Friday. That's two games straight that the Mustangs have won by exactly six runs.
Jordan Haver
| 03/28/25 vs Sierra | 16 |
| 03/08/24 @ Lodi | 9 |
| 02/27/24 @ Atwater | 9 |
| 03/07/25 vs Mountain House | 8 |
| 03/12/25 vs Central Catholic | 6 |
Jordan Haver spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on three hits and racked up 16 Ks. Those 16 strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Oakdale let Griffin Costa and Eric Velazquez run wild. Costa scored three runs while going 3-for-3, while Velazquez scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Oakdale is undefeated when Costa posts two or more runs, but 3-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Peyton Wallace, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Oakdale was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sierra only posted a batting average of .125.
Meanwhile, Manteca waltzed into their game on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. Everything went their way against the Mustangs as they made off with a 13-1 win.
Jeremy Cross was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Preston Smith, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Nate Slikker, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Oakdale pushed their record up to 10-6 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Manteca, their record is now 14-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oakdale has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Manteca struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oakdale came up short against Manteca in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, falling 6-3. Can Oakdale avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
