Oakdale doesn’t typically let a team get away with committing four errors.
East Union made enough plays behind pitching ace Marco Gonzales to overcome them. The host Lancers held on for a 3-2 win Wednesday, with shortstop Danny Marquez ending it with a nice pick up the middle and a strike to first while Oakdale base runner Austin Manning threatened to score the tying run from second.
“Even though we had errors lead to unearned runs we were able to limit the damage,” East Union coach Dan Triglia said. “A lot of that goes to Marco hitting his spots, and when we needed to we made the plays behind him.
“You don’t usually see an Oakdale-East Union game with seven errors and only five runs, but the pitchers did well for themselves on both sides.
Gonzales struck out four, walked two and hit one in his three-hit gem. Manning yielded five hits and fanned six batters. Triglia also credited the play of second baseman Gyse Hulsebosch and center fielder Eric Flores on defense.
Gonzales was key on offense, too, plating the tying and go-ahead runs in the fourth and sixth-innings after leading off with hits. Brayden Hardcastle drove him in with a double in the fourth, and after Gonzales led off the sixth with his own two-bagger he put the Lancers (2-1 Valley Oak League, 5-7 overall) ahead for good on Hulsebosch’s fielder’s choice.
The win keeps East Union a game back of league-leading Manteca. A perennial contender, Oakdale (0-3, 9-6), meanwhile, finds itself in an even deeper hole.
“Huge win coming off of last week when we split with Sierra,” Triglia said. “We don’t get a week off in the VOL, so obviously a win over Oakdale gets us back in the right direction.”
Sierra 12,
Central Catholic 5
MODESTO — The Timberwolves (2-1, 7-4) created a logjam at second place with their big win at Central Catholic (2-1, 8-7).
Trailing 2-0, Sierra broke out for five runs in the third and then five more in the fifth with two-run singles coming from Nick Oseguera and Chase Sperbeck. Jacob Peterson and Scott Teicheira each contributed two hits and two RBIs. Sierra overcame three errors and eight walks by turning five double plays.
Kimball 3, Lathrop 1
LATHROP — Kyle McPartland’s pinch-hit, two-run single in the fifth was the difference for Kimball (1-2, 10-4).
Lathrop (0-3, 3-6-1) tied it at 1-1 in the fourth with Albert Flores’ sacrifice fly that drove in Ross Tisdell, whose leadoff single broke up Fred Necochea’s bid for a perfect game. The Spartans had a chance to score more in the inning but left runners stranded on the corners.
Necochea, who pitched four-plus innings, and reliever Ryan Rivera combined for a one-hitter. Lathrop pitchers Santiago Cantun (five innings) and David Lopez gave up six hits, though three went for extra bases.
Southern League
Mariposa 10,
Ripon Christian 9
MARIPOSA — The Grizzlies (3-0, 5-3) rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to cap off their wild come-from-behind victory. Ripon Christian (2-1, 9-3) was plagued by errors throughout, and four runs given up by its pitchers were unearned.
Travis Vander Molen was 3 for 4 with four RBIs and a homer for the Knights. He also fired seven strikeouts in four innings.
Sophomore
Sierra 2,
Central Catholic 0
MODESTO — J.T. Ortiz-Martinez was 2 for 2 with a triple and drove in both of Sierra’s run.
Caden Worth struck out five and scattered three hits in his six-inning start. Brandon Reis rung up two strikeouts in the final inning to notch the save.
