Buffaloes
| 03/08/25 vs Patterson | 10 |
| 03/07/25 @ Patterson | 5 |
| 03/03/25 @ Patterson | 3 |
| 02/28/25 @ Ripon | 18 |
| 02/26/25 @ Tracy | 7 |
| + 5 more games |
The Manteca Buffaloes will head out on the road to take on the Downey Knights at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Manteca is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Last Saturday, Manteca was able to grind out a solid win over Patterson, taking the game 10-6. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Buffaloes.
Nate Slikker was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the first time he hasn't allowed a single hit since back in February of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other pitching news, Jeremy Cross tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Chris Chavez, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Jace Quitasol, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, while it was Downey who put the first points on the board on Tuesday, it was Lodi who put up more. Downey fell 6-1 to Lodi. The Knights have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Downey also got a good showing from Isaac Doornewaard, who pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits.
At the plate, Downey saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Julian Masani, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Owen Sacuskie also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Manteca pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Downey, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.
Manteca was able to grind out a solid win over Downey when the teams last played back in March of 2019, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Manteca since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
