In a battle of unbeatens  Monday, Manteca High returned from Jackson with its perfect record still intact but had to hold off a late charge for a 4-3 victory over Argonaut.

The Buffaloes (4-0) scored all of their runs in the third inning but couldn’t get much going after that. Argonaut (4-1) was able to knock Manteca starter Dillon Lauborough out of the game in the fifth when it plated all of its runs. 

Lucas Vaughn powered the Buffs with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. He drove in two runs. Dom Pisano was 2 for 4 with a double and a run.

“We played catch well today but need to get the bats going,” Manteca coach Neil MacDannald said. “Give Argonaut credit for playing hard until the end.”

Lauborough was effective in his first start of the season, striking out seven in 4 2/3 innings. Joe Menzel logged 11/3 innings, and Alex Jorgensen pitched a perfect seventh for the save and the combined four-hitter.

“Dillon threw well today and it was nice to see Alex them 1-2-3 in the seventh inning of a one-run game,” MacDannald said. “The ability to finish a close game is huge, especially in a tough league like the Valley Oak League.”

The Buffaloes have two more weeks to tune up for their challenging VOL schedule. Up next are home games against Grace Davis of Modesto and Ceres High today and Thursday, respectively.