Third-seeded Manteca never trailed visiting No. 6 Ponderosa in a 6-2 quarterfinal victory in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III baseball playoffs on Friday.
“Really, what it came down to is we didn’t ever let them get momentum,” Buffaloes coach Mark Ruiz said. “They never got the big hit, Jimmy (Burns) kept them off balance and the defense did a good job.”
Manteca (22-8) stranded 14 runners on base, leaving the bases loaded three times.
“We left a lot of guys on base,” Ruiz said. “We were one hit away from breaking it open and then taking all the momentum, but we pretty much had the momentum the majority of the game and that is good.”
Burns did not give up a hit until the fourth inning, and that was on an infield single. In the fifth inning, he pitched his way out of one-out, bases loaded jam, inducing a flyout and a grounder. Burns went 5.2 innings with two strikeouts, two walks, two hit batters, five hits and two runs.
“It could have been better,” Burns said. “But we have another chance and we’re moving on.
“When things got tough the whole time, I was in my head telling myself to let the defense work. I would go out there and do me and my defense would have my back.
“It always helps when there are no errors, because they don’t get extra batters and just builds up my confidence in our defense.”
Buffaloes leadoff batter Brody Carabello started the game with a single and came in off of a Devon Richardson error. Nate Slikker, who reached on an error, scored on Brixton Menchaca-Ortiz’s single for a 2-0 first-inning Manteca lead.
Carabello reached base four times, going 2 for 3 with a pair of four-pitch walks and two runs.
“I was just looking for my pitch trying to find a way to get on base for the team and get some runs on the board,” Carabello said. “If they were not throwing me strikes I am still trying to get on base and get around the bases. If they don’t give me anything to hit I’m going to take a walk.”
Hitting out of the eight hole, Manteca’s Noah Navarro went 2 for 3 with a double, RBI and walk.
“I was just trying to be confident,” Navarro said. “It’s my senior year and I’m trying to make the best of what happens to me, trying to enjoy it before it ends.”
In the fourth inning, Carabello scored on Slikker’s sacrifice and Brennen Vega walked, coming around to score on Devon Richardson’s single for a 4-0 lead. Gavin Daby’s two-RBI single in the sixth inning got the Bruins (14-14) of Shingle Springs within 4-2. Manteca answered in the bottom of the frame when Navarro singled in Caleb Otega and Matt Suarez came in on Carabello’s infield single.
On Tuesday at 4.p.m., the Buffaloes host No. 7 El Capitan of Merced, 4-2 winners over second-seeded Vista del Lago on Friday. This will begin a best-of-three series.
