East Union hasn't had much luck against Oakdale recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Lancers will be playing at home against the Mustangs at 6:30 p.m. East Union is coming into the match hot, having won their last six games.
East Union's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Sierra 11-0. The result was nothing new for the Lancers, who have now won nine contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Mikayla Simpson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over four innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Caliyah Lopez, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Leah Altstadt was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
East Union kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 12.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous three game, Oakdale brought some dynamite into their most recent contest. They had just enough and edged out Manteca 10-8. Considering the Mustangs' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Katee Conde was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Audrey Romiti, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and one double.
East Union's victory bumped their record up to 15-12. As for Oakdale, their win bumped their record up to 13-10.
East Union couldn't quite finish off Oakdale in their previous meeting back in March and fell 3-1. Will the Lancers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
