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Manteca hosts playoff opener, Ripon gets 1st-round bye
SJS softball playoffs
Ripon batter Mims Caratachea pops the ball up against Sierra pitcher Breanna Tyler in a non-league game. - photo by Wayne Thallander

The Valley Oak League was awarded four of the top seven seeds for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.

The Section released brackets for all seven divisions on Friday.

Manteca (16-8) finished in fourth place in the competitive VOL but still earned a first-round playoff game because of its all-around strength of

SJS softball playoffs
Manteca’s Riley Ward pitches in a Valley Oak League game against visiting Oakdale. - photo by Wayne Thallander
schedule. Trans-Valley League outright champion Ripon (13-4) is in the 10-team Division IV bracket and is one of six teams starting with a bye.

Seeded seventh, Manteca will take on No. 10 Roseville (13-13) next Tuesday. The game is scheduled for a 4 o’clock start. The Tigers finished third in the Capital Valley Conference and boast a power-packed lineup that has walloped 16 home runs.

Senior shortstop and Fort Lewis College commit Jennavieve Goldsworth (.396 batting average, 27 runs) is backed by juniors Karissa Avila (.456, three HRs, 24 RBIs), Bella Tonso (.419, four HRs, 27 RBIs), Kylee Crossman (.368, two HRs, 11 RBIs) and Jill Anderson (.316, five HRs, 20 RBIs).

VOL champion Central Catholic (24-3) is the No. 1 seed in the bracket. The Raiders are ranked second overall in the Section, according to MaxPreps ratings. League rivals Oakdale (18-7) and Kimball (12-8) are seeded fifth and sixth, respectively.

In Division IV, Ripon gets a break until Thursday and awaits the winner between No. 7 West Park (8-9) and No. 10 Union Mine (10-8).

Golden Empire League titlist Dixon (20-6) is the top-seed and reigning champion of the division. The Rams eliminated Ripon 6-2 in the semifinals.

Championships games for both divisions take place May 27 at Cosumnes River College. All finalists in Divisions I-III advance to the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regionals. Only champions in Divisions IV-VII move on to NorCals.