May 8, 10, 11 and 14 will mark the official start to the Sac-Joaquin Section postseason for prep swim, soccer, golf and softball programs. Oakdale High athletes that haven’t already locked up a trip to events on those dates have been hungrily working toward that honor. Following is summary of recent Oakdale prep action.

Swimming

The Mustangs already sealed unbeaten conference titles by scorching league foes for repeated wins in both girls and boys varsity action, but took one last shot at SJS Trials qualification (May 10 for boys, May 11th for girls) at the Valley Oak League Championship Tournament on April 28.

It was at this meet that the girls 400 free relay team of Ali Poff, Savannah Stender, Shelby Stender and Summer Thompson set a new school record with a time of 3 minutes, 52.34 seconds in the 400 free relay.

Thompson, Savannah Stender, Katie Vanderburg and Alissa Burford also broke their own record with a 1:57.69 time to win the 200 medley relay.

Hank Walter, Soren Dickens, Ryan Jones and Brandon Terwilliger also broke the 200 medley relay record with a 1:43.58 time.

Seven girls and seven boys will make the trek to the 2012 SJS Swimming Trials after recent qualification. Burford (senior), Poff (junior), Vanderburg (junior), Thompson (freshman), Savannah Stender (senior), Shelby Stender (freshman) and Stevie Cordoza (senior) will represent the OHS girls.

Dickens (freshman), Walter (senior), Jones (junior), Terwilliger (senior), Will Cavanaugh (junior), Joe Guerrero (freshman) and Adam Lahey (junior) will also compete at the SJS Trials.

Golf

Oakdale was at the VOL Championship tournament on Tuesday at the Greenhorn Creek Golf Course, but results were not available at press time. The Mustangs are already guaranteed collective team advancement to the Division IV Championships at the Diablo Grande Golf Course on May 8.

The team ensured that by beating host Sonora 197-210 in the final conference match of the season at the Mountain Springs Golf Course (par 36). Ryan Jones shot a medalist 35 in the win while Ian Stogdell carded a 38. Robby Wikoff and Isaac Rellamas each shot 39 while Michael Tripp carded a 46.

Oakdale was fresh off a 204-234 win over host Manteca at the Manteca Parks Golf Course on April 24. Jones shot a 37 in the win while Rellemas carded a 39. Wikoff (40), Stogdell (41), Tripp (47) and Fauria (48) also played well.

 Softball

The Lady Mustangs slipped from their pedestal atop the conference standings after a 5-1 loss to Kimball on April 26 and played second place Sierra on Monday. Oakdale climbed back to a firm position atop the VOL after a 1-0 win over Sierra on April 30. Shelby Reali got out of a one-out bases loaded jam in the first inning and tossed a brilliant two-hit gem to keep the Timberwolves from scoring. Oakdale scored in the second after Shelby Cordova belted a leadoff single and later scored on a Sierra error. Oakdale can now maintain sole possession of the VOL lead by winning out against Manteca and Sonora.

The Lady Mustangs started the week strong with a dominant 9-2 win over East Union on April 24 after a complete game win by Shelby Reali (11 strikeouts). Sarah Peterson hit 2 for 4 with a double and RBI while Francesca Orvis was 2 for 3 with a run. Reali also batted 1 for 3 with two runs and an RBI. Ghianna Falconi managed two RBIs while Kaila Olson scored two runs.

Two days later, Oakdale took a 1-0 lead in the third, but spotted Kimball a quick turnaround after three runs in the bottom frame. Reali struck out eight with six hits allowed. Lauren Sanders doubled for Oakdale while Hanna Holland scored the lone run.

“We left six runners on base and couldn’t get the big hits to keep it close,” Oakdale coach Larry Loger said. “Kimball is a good team. You have to score runs to compete with them.”

The SJS softball playoffs begin on May 14. Oakdale’s frosh-soph team beat East Union 6-1 after a seven strikeout performance by Megan Reali, who also was 2 for 3 with a run. Caylie O’Neal also hit 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

“This game was big for us because last time we beat East Union in a close 1-0 game,” Oakdale coach Allison Branco said. “We got a lot of hits and took advantage of a lot of their mistakes.”

The frosh-soph girls fell 7-6 to Kimball despite Tidball’s home run and 3 for 3 stanza at the plate. Kelsey Hardey also belted two RBIs and a triple while Markie Taylor was 2 for 4 with two runs.

Soccer

A 5-1 loss to unbeaten East Union on April 23 put Oakdale High’s varsity playoff hopes in jeopardy, but the Mustangs (6-4-1) bounced back with an 11-0 defeat of Weston Ranch two days later.

The team played Manteca on Monday and came away with a 4-2 victory, keeping their playoff hopes alive. The Mustangs host Sonora today, April 2 and close the season with an important showdown with host Sierra on Thursday. The outcome of that game will affect Oakdale’s possible entrance into a D-IV SJS playoff bracket that begins on May 10.

Oakdale made playoffs a possibility after Jill Kahler and Markie Arnold both netted three-score hat tricks against Weston Ranch on April 25.

Sierra Lyman scored two goals in the win while Jessica Gomez, Nicole Armstrong and Kristen Brunk each scored one.
Sara Siemsen (two), Izzy Arellano (one), Kahler (one), Brittany Carpenter (one), Lyman (two) and Jazmin Velasquez (three) all managed assists in the win. In the April 30 game at Manteca, goal scorers were Gabby Acosta and Brunk in the first half, Izzy Arellano and Acosta in the second half. Notching assists were Arnold and Arellano with two.

Junior Varsity

Taking on a solid East Union squad on April 23, the Oakdale JV girls won the contest by a 3-1 final.

They took the early lead, with a throw in from Danae Rose going to Denise Thompson, who used a second effort after the goalie blocked the initial shot, to get it past the keeper for a 1-0 lead about halfway through the first half. East Union challenged and tied it up a minute later, with Oakdale leading 2-1 at the break on a goal by Rose, off a double assist from Gabby Longoria and Thompson. Second half scoring included the insurance goal for the JV Lady Mustangs, coming from Thompson with the assist from defender Katelyn Jackson.

In action hosting Weston Ranch on a rainy Wednesday, April 25, the girls came away with a big win, getting several first-time goal scorers on the board against the overmatched Weston Ranch team.

Back from injury, Jessica Estrada had two goals on the day, the first assisted by Rose and the second goal coming at the end of the game, capping an 8-1 win with an assist from Julianne Kummer.

Other goals in the first half came from Christina Bradshaw (2) with one assist from Kenzie Sluggett, and an Abri Munoz goal assisted by Rose on a perfectly placed cross pass.

Anna Ogden got her first goal of the season to open up the second half scoring, taking a shot that bounced off the goalie and joining a scramble in front of the net to put her foot on it a second time and get the score. Kummer then took the ball from her midfield position and dribbled it around several defenders, sending a perfect shot up and over the goalie for an unassisted tally and making it 6-0. Longoria got an assist on a goal by Jesica Gonzalez to make it 7-0.

Weston Ranch did get one goal, a shot that was well placed and out of reach of the keeper, as the visitors displayed some grit and determination in battling until the end.

A road game at Manteca on April 30 was a 4-1 victory, with first half goals from Munoz (assist Thompson) and Rose (assist Longoria). Manteca converted a free kick to cut the lead to 2-1 but second half goals from Thompson (assist Miranda Crowley) and Rose (assist Thompson) put the game into the win column for the Oakdale squad.

The JV girls improved to 11-0-1 with the wins, looking to nail down the Valley Oak League title this week, taking on Sonora May 2 and traveling for a make-up game with Sierra on Thursday, May 3.