Manteca and Oakdale are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. Manteca will look to defend their home field on Monday against Oakdale at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Oakdale will be up against a hot Manteca squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. Manteca blew past Mountain House 13-1 on Friday.
Jeremy Cross made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March of 2024.
Preston Smith
| 03/28/25 @ Mountain House | 3 |
| 02/28/25 @ Ripon | 2 |
| 02/21/25 @ Hughson | 2 |
| 02/14/25 @ Franklin | 2 |
| 02/12/25 vs Los Banos | 2 |
In other batting news, Preston Smith was excellent, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Nate Slikker was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Oakdale waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Timberwolves. That's two games straight that the Mustangs have won by exactly six runs.
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.
On the hitting side, Griffin Costa and Eric Velazquez did most of the damage at the plate: 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.
Manteca pushed their record up to 14-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Oakdale, their victory bumped their record up to 10-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Manteca has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oakdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Manteca beat Oakdale 6-3 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Does Manteca have another victory up their sleeve, or will Oakdale turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
