MANTECA — When a team blasts 10 doubles on its 13 hits, odds are that an alert runner should not have to be difference in the game.

But that's exactly what happened Thursday as East Union scored a thrilling 11-10 extra-inning victory over Sierra at Agostini Field, setting up today's win-or-go-home Valley Oak League tilt with the Timberwolves at Sierra High.

Needing to sweep the series with the Timberwolves to make the playoffs, the Lancers managed a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. Standing on second in the bottom of the eighth with one out, East Union's Ryan Dawson broke for third on a Trae Lopez grounder to the right side of the infield. Lopez beat the throw to first and collided with pitcher Mike Garcia, covering the base. Dawson continued around third and crossed the plate ahead of the throw for the thrilling win.

"Once I saw the pitcher run into the runner, I knew that he was not going to be able to turn around fast enough," Dawson said. "I knew I could beat it once I got the turn around third."

By all rights, the game should have ended in the bottom of the seventh. With Steve Weddinton (two doubles, two RBIs) on third and two outs, Garcia got Kurt Johnson to chase strike three on a pitch outside and in the dirt. The ball got loose and when Johnson beat the throw to first, Weddington scampered home to tie the game.

"That is too bad because we had the kid struck out to end the game," Sierra coach Jack Thomson

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said. "If that ball was 6 inches higher, we would have won the ball game. But that is baseball. So now we play on Friday."

The Lancers (12-10, 8-5 VOL) committed their only errors of the game in the fifth inning, and those three miscues led to five Sierra runs.

"In a game like this you try and stay as even as you can," East Union coach Dan Triglia said. "Obviously, this was a very emotional game with our cross-town rivals with the playoffs on the line. You have to continue to stay positive and focused. The kids never gave in, and they never lost faith in each other.

"Our kids did a great job, and Sierra's kids did a fantastic job as well. You can't get a better situation than a one-run ball game in extra innings against a cross-town rival with a playoff spot on the line. It was pretty exciting stuff, and we get to do it again on Friday."

The bottom third of the Lancers' lineup was hot, with No.7 batter Marshall Swift doubling and scoring twice in his first two at-bats. Dawson followed Swift with a pair of walks and a run, and in the No.9 hole John Campa doubled twice in his first two trips, scoring once and knocking in a pair of runs.

Teddy Anderson doubled in two East Union runs in the fourth.

Garcia (2-for-5) knocked in four runs for the Timberwolves (16-9, 7-6).

The battle for the third and final playoff spot out of the VOL begins at Sierra today at 4 p.m.