A refreshed Manteca Buffaloes team that hadn’t seen the field in two weeks jumped on their opponents early and often Wednesday afternoon en-route to a 10-0 run rule six-inning win over the Armijo Royals of Fairfield in the opening round of the Sac Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.
“We needed the time off,” Manteca coach Josh Farris said. “We played a pretty grueling end to the Valley Oak League schedule, and I think you could see a number of our girls really benefited from that rest today.”
No one benefited from the extra rest more for the third-seeded Buffaloes (20-8) than pitcher Isabel Tonna, Manteca’s junior standout, who came into the playoffs having pitched 87 innings in 21 appearances on the year. Tonna looked every bit of Manteca’s ace, striking out six in five innings, while not allowing a hit and facing the minimum against the 14-seed Royals (15-2), who came into the game having not lost since March 12.
“I think I had extra energy today not having played in a few weeks,” Tonna said. “I wanted to get out there and work the ball low in the zone and let my defense work behind me, and I think we executed that plan well.”
Pitching depth was on display for Farris, as freshman Emilee Lopez came on for Manteca in the sixth inning and struck out the side to complete the combined no-hitter for Manteca.
Tonna pitched with a comfortable lead for most of the afternoon, as the Buffaloes jumped on Armijo pitching to the tune of one run in the first, four runs in the second, and four more in the third. Manteca would walk it off in the sixth inning on a double from junior outfielder Lauren Moncada, plating sophomore shortstop Sienna Owen to make it 10-0.
The duo was the catalyst for Manteca offensively, with Moncada going 4-for-4 with three runs batted in. Owen finished the contest with three hits, three stolen bases, and four runs scored.
“Sienna Owen is a player that you want up at the plate and on the bases,” Farris said. “I told her at one point in the game today, let’s see how many steals we can get you. The speed she brings to the game puts extra pressure on defenses and can really kick start us offensively like you saw today.”
Manteca also got significant contributions from the bottom half of the order, as sophomore catcher Na'ima Calderon and sophomore third baseman Maleiah Garza each recorded two hits and two runs scored. Garza also drove in two runs as a part of rallies in the second and third innings.
The opening-round victory sets up an all-VOL quarterfinal as No. 5 Oakdale will travel to Manteca on Friday afternoon. The teams split two league games this year, with Manteca winning 4-2 at home before falling 10-8 on the road at Oakdale. Oakdale has also eliminated Manteca from the playoffs two of the last three seasons, with the most recent win coming 2-1 in nine innings last season in the Division III semis.
“We’re excited to play Oakdale, especially here,” Farris said. “Both of those loses came at their place, so to get a crack at them here is awesome. We’re expecting a great crowd and great energy, and our girls couldn’t be more excited to try to beat the defending D-III champs.”
