LODI — If East Union is to turn its season around, now is the time to do it.
The Lancers came into Monday’s Lodi/Tokay Easter Classic opener against West of Tracy at Tony Zupo Field losers of six of their last eight, but coach Dan Triglia believes his team is much better than it has been playing.
East Union proved him right, at least for one day, with an easy 7-1 victory over the Wolf Pack, which split with Tri-County Athletic League rival St. Mary’s last week. St. Mary’s is the 13th ranked team in the NorCalPreps.com overall poll.
East Union (7-6) is coming off last Thursday’s disappointing 6-4 loss defeat to Central Valley in Valley Oak League play. Triglia said his club is using the spring-break tournament to work out the kinks going into the final stretch of the conference season.
“We’re looking for the true identity of this team; we’re playing real inconsistent right now,” Triglia said. “I’d much rather think we’re closer to today and last Tuesday when we beat Central Valley.
“The kids did a fabulous job of rebounding. They did an excellent job all aspects of the game.”
And it started with southpaw pitcher Frank Bailey. Bailey, backed by an errorless defense and opportunistic offense, never reached 20 pitches in a single inning. His efficient four-hit masterpiece included six strikeouts to a single walk.
The Lancers spotted their hurler a 2-0 lead in the first, and third baseman Frank Costa and second baseman John Ott got him out of a second-inning jam with a double play.
“It just makes me feel like I can throw strikes,” he said of the reliable play of his defense. “I don’t have to worry about my defense making routine plays, but they were making the tough plays look easy, too.”
Bailey gave himself a boost from the bottom of the order with three runs in a 2-for-3 effort.
Garrett Fisher pummeled a three-run double in the fourth to break it open for East Union, which led 6-0 at that point. Wade Morten was 1 for 2 with three RBIs (two on sacrifice flies) and a run.
Leadoff hitter Steven Weddington finished 2 for 4 with a run, and Marshall Swift was a perfect 4 for 4 with two runs.
West (8-7) went through four different pitchers, and each of them worked ahead in the count against Swift. In the sixth, reliever Andrew Jaeger hung a high knuckleball that Swift tomahawked to straightaway center for his fourth hit.
“I don’t know, I was just picking it up well from the hat to the glove to the ball,” Swift said. “I got behind (on counts), but I just took what the pitchers were giving me.”
Nate Trujillo drove in Riley Goulding with a pop fly to left in the top of the sixth for West’s lone run.
East Union next faces tournament co-host Lodi today at Billy Hebert Field. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.
The two teams met on March 10 during the preseason, with the Lancers prevailing, 4-3.
The Lancers came into Monday’s Lodi/Tokay Easter Classic opener against West of Tracy at Tony Zupo Field losers of six of their last eight, but coach Dan Triglia believes his team is much better than it has been playing.
East Union proved him right, at least for one day, with an easy 7-1 victory over the Wolf Pack, which split with Tri-County Athletic League rival St. Mary’s last week. St. Mary’s is the 13th ranked team in the NorCalPreps.com overall poll.
East Union (7-6) is coming off last Thursday’s disappointing 6-4 loss defeat to Central Valley in Valley Oak League play. Triglia said his club is using the spring-break tournament to work out the kinks going into the final stretch of the conference season.
“We’re looking for the true identity of this team; we’re playing real inconsistent right now,” Triglia said. “I’d much rather think we’re closer to today and last Tuesday when we beat Central Valley.
“The kids did a fabulous job of rebounding. They did an excellent job all aspects of the game.”
And it started with southpaw pitcher Frank Bailey. Bailey, backed by an errorless defense and opportunistic offense, never reached 20 pitches in a single inning. His efficient four-hit masterpiece included six strikeouts to a single walk.
The Lancers spotted their hurler a 2-0 lead in the first, and third baseman Frank Costa and second baseman John Ott got him out of a second-inning jam with a double play.
“It just makes me feel like I can throw strikes,” he said of the reliable play of his defense. “I don’t have to worry about my defense making routine plays, but they were making the tough plays look easy, too.”
Bailey gave himself a boost from the bottom of the order with three runs in a 2-for-3 effort.
Garrett Fisher pummeled a three-run double in the fourth to break it open for East Union, which led 6-0 at that point. Wade Morten was 1 for 2 with three RBIs (two on sacrifice flies) and a run.
Leadoff hitter Steven Weddington finished 2 for 4 with a run, and Marshall Swift was a perfect 4 for 4 with two runs.
West (8-7) went through four different pitchers, and each of them worked ahead in the count against Swift. In the sixth, reliever Andrew Jaeger hung a high knuckleball that Swift tomahawked to straightaway center for his fourth hit.
“I don’t know, I was just picking it up well from the hat to the glove to the ball,” Swift said. “I got behind (on counts), but I just took what the pitchers were giving me.”
Nate Trujillo drove in Riley Goulding with a pop fly to left in the top of the sixth for West’s lone run.
East Union next faces tournament co-host Lodi today at Billy Hebert Field. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.
The two teams met on March 10 during the preseason, with the Lancers prevailing, 4-3.
