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Kron shuts down Galt to lead East Union
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LODI – Jordan Kron was not greedy in a quest for run support during the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV playoff opener for East Union, but there was no way he could have imagined that three first-inning runs would be more than enough to advance to the next round and end Galt’s season with a 5-0 loss Thursday.

Kron tossed seven innings of masterful pitching, stifling Galt’s offense to the tune of four hits while striking out 11 in the complete-game shutout. Kron plated one of the Lancers’ first three runs by coming around to score on a wild pitch after reaching base with a one-out single to center.

“Jordan had another quality start tonight,” East Union head coach Dan Triglia said. “He has had a quality start every single time he’s taken the bump this year. Ronnie Limas does a fantastic job behind the plate calling his pitches.

“Those two guys working together are very strong.”

Galt simply had no answer for Kron, who was throwing in the mid-80s through the entire contest. Galt only ushered four runners into scoring position, getting a pair of runners to third and two more safely to second. It was evident Kron got stronger as the contest continued, getting more than half of his strikeouts in the game’s final four innings.

“I thought I did alright,” Kron said after the win. “All in all, I feel I did pretty well. Us jumping out 3-0 really relaxed me a lot.

“As soon as we scored those three runs I knew that I was in the driver’s seat, and I would hold whether or not we won the game.”

Offensively, East Union (16-6) did not get a ton of hits, but the squad continued to get the timely ones. Brock Swift collected a pair of RBI hits, driving in a run in the first with a single and giving his Lancers a 4-0 lead with a two-out two-run double in the third.

Justin Dias helped get East Union going, coming around to score the game’s first run after a base hit up the box to start the game. Limas connected a towering double to left and came around to score as well.

The victory over the Warriors sets up a showdown with Valley Oak League foe Manteca High. The two clubs split their two meetings this year with the Lancers taking an 8-7 slugfest and dropping a 1-0 pitcher’s duel. First pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Tony Zupo Field, reigniting a rivalry that will usher one club into SJS Div-IV final.

“Manteca is a quality baseball team,” Triglia said. “They have very good coaching and very good players, so it is going to be a dogfight.”