Manteca gave up too many extra opportunities while not taking advantage of some of its own on Wednesday against defending Valley Oak League co-champion Central Catholic.
The Buffaloes committed four errors on defense, while leaving 13 runners on base offensively, spoiling an otherwise solid combined pitching effort from starter Jeremy Cross and Anthony Benkowski in a 10-3 home defeat.
Central Catholic (4-1 VOL, 7-1 overall) has claimed the best-of-three series win with one more game remaining.
“Our pitchers actually did a really good job today,” Manteca coach Mark Ruiz said. “They kept them off balance, and there was not a lot of hard contact, at all. Our defense flat out let us down today. The outfield made too many errors, and when errors are in the outfield, they’re usually two- or three-baggers.”
The final numbers are not flattering for Cross, who gave up 10 runs (five unearned) on 11 hits and no walks and struck out three in 3 2/3 innings, but the untimely miscues gave the Raiders more chances to find gaps the defense.
A misplayed line drive in right field extended Marcus Davenport’s base hit into a leadoff triple in the second inning. He scored on the next at-bat when Hudson Walker (three runs) reached on a dropped pop fly in left field. Cruz Costa, Central’s starting pitcher, then drove in the second run with a double.
Two more errors in the third inning, one in center field and the other in the middle infield, led to five more runs and a 7-0 lead for the Raiders.
Caine Walker led CC with two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored in a 3-for-4 outing. Jacob Kiesel (two runs, RBI), Kayden McHenry (run) and Davenport (two runs, RBI) each went 2 for 4.
Benkowski cooled off the Raiders’ bats after giving up a double to Walker for two inherited runs in the fourth inning. He scattered just two hits, walked one and struck out three over 3 1/3 innings — his longest appearance of the season, so far.
“He mixes speed really well and threw a lot of strikes,” Ruiz said. “He did an awesome job of keeping them off balance, pitching to his strengths and hitting his spots. Jeremy did the same thing.”
Cruz surrendered three unearned runs, nine hits and two walks for the win. He also fired nine strikeouts. Issac Castro faced closed it out in the seventh and faced four batters.
Manteca (3-2, 9-2) benefited from a two-out infield error in the fourth. That led to Brennen Vega’s bloop single for an RBI and Nate Slikker’s two-run double to deep left.
It was mostly struggle for the Buffaloes with base runners on. In fact, they’ve left 28 total base runners stranded in the series, so far.
They had a chance to answer Central’s two-run second inning right away, but could not capitalize with the bases loaded and only one out. Manteca also came away empty-handed with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Two runners were left on base in each of the three innings in between.
“We were constantly one hit away from actually coming back,” Ruiz said. We had the bases loaded twice and runners on second and third twice and got nothing out of it.”
Brody Carabello, Slikker and Vega slugged two hits apiece for the Buffs, who will look to salvage a win out of the three-game set Friday in Modesto.
“We gotta come out and have a good practice tomorrow,” Ruiz said. “Hopefully, these guys are hungry, and I think they will be. We want to kind of get back to where we were last week, and, of course, play some defense.”
