It has been a long time coming.
The last time Manteca beat East Union is softball was nearly a decade ago, and when the Buffaloes came up to bat on Garvine Field on Friday they did so with a chip on their shoulder, and it showed.
The first three Manteca batters reached and scored, and the Buffaloes never looked back in a 4-0 Valley Oak League win at the Northgate Softball Complex. East Union had won 14 straight against its oldest rival.
“We came in here with a chip on our shoulder,” Manteca coach Josh Farris said. “I think this is one we circled on the calendar. This is a rivalry game, but it has not been much of a rivalry lately. We haven’t beaten them in nine years. Our girls took this personally from the first days of January and February because they wanted to end this streak and get it over with. Now that it is over, the girls can breathe a sigh of relief.
“Like I said, this one has always been in the back of our minds because of the respect we have for that program, but I feel our program is rising and in order to do that this is the program we have to beat in town.”
Ariana Lowery and Baylee Willenbrink were the first two batters for the Buffaloes (3-2 VOL, 13-3 overall), and both were walked. Mohrgen Kissee doubled them in and she eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Nayellys Torres (two RBI) for a 3-0 lead.
“I was really relaxed and I just wanted to get the girls in,” Kissee said. “I just sat back on the changeup and hit it.”
Torres went the distance in the circle for Manteca, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits. She hurled three strikeouts in the second inning, the last one coming with the bases loaded.
“I just knew I needed to hit my spots with the bases loaded,” Torres said. “I needed to throw strikes and I did.
“I knew the defense was there right behind me. I was throwing screwball after screwball with a lot of spin and it seems like they couldn’t hit it, but props to them for battling.
Willenbrink scored twice and reached base three times, going 2 for 3 with a walk.
“I knew I needed to clutch up for the team,” Willenbrink said. “I knew that once I got on they would get me in.”
Farris and Willenbrink think along the same lines.
“The heart of our order is our big bats, but we can’t do anything without our speed on,” Farris said. “Those two girls (Lowery and Willenbrink) are two of the fastest girls in school, and when they get on we do good things.”
Until Friday, the Buffaloes have been banged up a good part of the season.
“This is the first time our lineup has been full since league started,” Farris said. “Torres didn’t pitch all week in preparation for this game. She told us earlier this was as fresh as she has ever felt and she showed it today, especially in the sixth and seventh innings. That was the hardest I have seen her throw in a long time.
“Our catcher (Jessica Almeida) hasn’t played in a month and our shortstop (Willenbrink) has been banged up. For us it is a huge confidence factor to have our one through nine ready to go.”
Almeida (double) and Elon James (stolen base) were both 2 for 4 for Manteca.
After the Lancers (2-3, 7-5) loaded the bases in the second inning with a single by Kylee Gann, a hit batter and an error they had only two more base runners — one on an error in sixth inning and the other on a two-out single by Lydia Allgaier in the seventh. Neither reached second base.
“We didn’t capitalize in the box and do our job how we were supposed to,” East Union coach Steffany Zanini said. “I have to give it up to their pitcher (Torres), she did work.
“They have a good lineup in general. And they have a really good top half. We came in prepped and ready to work on the defensive side and we all had a plan and when the first few got on they did their job in the box. They hit some balls hard and our outfield did work. That kept them where they were at for a while and we just didn’t capitalize on holding them defensively.”
On Wednesday at 4 p.m. Manteca hosts Kimball and East Union travels to Oakdale.
