Extra contests are a lock for Oakdale High softball, soccer and baseball players, who excelled in Valley Oak League action to earn a trip into the postseason. Following is a summary of recent action and a look at upcoming playoff games.
Varsity softball
The Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV softball playoffs sported a 1, 2, 3 finish from VOL teams last year, and that isn’t likely to change in 2013.
With Sierra Valley Conference champion Union Mine (15-7 overall) sporting a less-than-imposing résumé and undefeated Western Athletic Conference leader Central Catholic (15-6-1) failing to impress in non-league play, the entries of Sierra (20-2), Kimball (18-6) and Oakdale (18-7-1) remain the most intriguing Division IV seeds.
Oakdale locked up a trip to the playoffs with back-to-back wins over Sonora and Manteca on May 1 and 3, and will likely enter the bracket with a No. 3 seed to face WAC Champion Central Catholic for the May 15 opening round.
Considering Oakdale beat Central Catholic 7-5 on April 15, it’s hardly a matchup worth crying over.
The Lady Mustangs made it possible after Shelby Cordova blasted two home runs against Manteca to surpass 2011 graduate Brianna Parker as Oakdale’s all-time home run leader.
Cordova hit 3 for 4 with four RBIs in the 14-4 win over Manteca while Kindra Hackbarth (2 for 3, three runs, stolen base), Hanna Holland (2 for 4, two runs, three RBIs, double), Lauren Sanders (2 for 3, RBI, stolen base), Haley Fuller (2 for 4, run), Rylie Pena (2 for 2, two runs, RBI, double) and Melinda Koppinger (1 for 1, run, stolen base) also shined at the plate. Pena tossed two innings while Koppinger shut down Manteca in the final three.
The Mustangs were rolling after a 17-1 rout of Sonora two days earlier. Kindra Hackbarth (2 for 2, RBI, stolen base), Holland (two RBIs, triple), Sanders (home run, two runs, two RBIs), Sarah Peterson (2 for 3, three runs, RBI, double), Madison Hackbarth (3 for 4, three RBIs, two home runs), Natasha LeLieur (run, double, RBI) and Samantha Galvan (single, two runs, RBI) swung a hot bat.
Junior Varsity softball
The JV Lady Mustangs soared in a big week of play to beat Sonora 15-0 on May 1 and topple Manteca 12-1 two days later to clinch the conference title.
Megan Reali and Maddy Gambini combined for five innings with six strikeouts and only one hit allowed to beat Sonora. Cierra Duke stunned the Wildcats with a pair of first-inning home runs while Micaela Maaske and Amanda Kerns each nabbed two hits with three RBIs. Reali and Melanie Benge landed two hits and two RBIs each while the team rolled to 12 hits across the five innings.
Against Manteca, Benge tossed five innings with nine strikeouts and only five hits allowed. Kerns had three hits and four RBIs while Reali, Benge and Maaske ended with two hits and two RBIs. Sami Avant belted a base hit and knocked in two runs as well.
Girls Soccer
Scores from Danae Rose, Gabby Acosta and Jill Kahler propelled Oakdale High's varsity girls soccer team to a 3-0 win over host Sonora on April 30, effectively sealing the third and final seed from the Valley Oak League into the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
Oakdale trailed Manteca by one conference point in the battle for third place, but capitalized on Manteca's 3-0 loss to East Union.
First-time champion Kimball, East Union and Oakdale qualify out of the VOL, with Oakdale meeting up first with host Inderkum out of the Sacramento area today, May 8.
Visit oakdaleleader.com for more information on Oakdale’s run into the postseason.
Baseball
Barring a stunning loss to Lathrop (9-13), Oakdale locked a conference title and top seed into the playoffs with Manteca’s ill-timed defeat to Kimball.
The Mustangs played Lathrop on Monday and Tuesday, though results were not available at press time.
Oakdale had dropped Sonora 8-2 on April 30 and 8-0 two days later to maintain its position atop the VOL standings.
Eddie Machado earned the win in the first game with four sharp innings while Nick Ippolito recorded the save by pitching the final three.
Ippolito also hit 3 for 5 with a run and RBI while Bryce Dyrda batted 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Ericksen Dickens hit 2 for 5 with an RBI and two runs while Austin Dickens was 1 for 1 with two RBIs.
In the second game of the series, Dyrda tossed over six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts while Hayden Rodriguez came on in relief to record the final two outs.
Ippolito was 3 for 4 in that game with two doubles, three runs and an RBI. The entire Oakdale lineup recorded hits, including two from Miko Arpoika, Tanner Morgan and Ericksen Dickens. Colt Parshall, Nick Denning, Machado, Dyrda, Austin Dickens and Nick Garza also earned base knocks.
The SJS baseball playoffs open first round games on May 15. Oakdale will likely face the winner of a May 13 out-bracket between the Sierra Valley Conference and Western Athletic Conference No. 3 seeds. The action is scheduled for Tony Zupo Field in Lodi.