Manteca High opened the Valley Oak League season Wednesday with a tough 21-15 home loss to Oakdale.

The defending league champion Buffaloes (0-1, 5-4) jumped out to a 6-0 advantage, adding three more in the third only to see the Mustangs come roaring back.

“Ninety-nine out of 100 times, these are games you win when scoring 15 runs,” said Manteca coach Neil MacDannald.

Oakdale (1-0, 5-3) used an eight-run fourth to leap-frog ahead.

Down 12-9, the Buffaloes tied the game in the bottom half of the frame. Junior infielder Ronaldo Tijero, who went 3 for 4 at the plate, had the key hit in the inning with an RBI double. He scored on Greg Jones’ bases-loaded walk.

Preston Brunk, who came in relief of starting pitcher Tanner Emes, settled his team down by limiting Manteca to three runs.

Oakdale took advantage of an error in the fifth, with Tyler Hall delivering a two-run single up the middle.  Another miscue by the Buffaloes led to another run in the sixth.

Ahead 16-13, the Mustangs strung together five more runs in the top of the seventh to make it 21-13.

Manteca’s last chance effort included consecutive one-out walks by Mitch Balmut and Tijero. After Dominick Pisano drew a two-out walk to load the bases, Jones delivered on a two-run single.

From there, Oakdale brought in reliever Wade Branch to get the final out.

“This was a good team win for us,” said Mustang coach Joe Peterson.

The Buffaloes won’t have too long of a wait, traveling to Oakdale in the rematch game on Friday.

“We’ll have to play better,” MacDannald said. “For us, the effort was there but not the execution.”

Both teams are young after dominating the VOL in recent years. Last year, Manteca halted Oakdale’s seven-year reign as VOL champion. Oakdale also won six Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV titles in that span, while the Buffaloes earned their program’s first in 2014.

“They’re talented, well coached and they play hard,” MacDannald said of the Mustangs.

Besides Tijero, who also scored five runs, Manteca got a 2-for-4 effort with two runs from freshman infielder Kyle Rachels. Junior outfielder Mitch Balmut also went 2 for 4 while scoring four runs.

Starting pitcher Pisano went three innings before yielding to Chase McKee. He turned the ball over to Jake Menasco in the fifth.

“We’re young but we still have expectations and standards (on playing baseball for Manteca),” MacDannald added.