By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The long trip to West Memphis did little to stop Sylvan Hills’ momentum in 6A-East Conference play. The Bears swept the Blue Devils 11-7 and 4-3 Monday night in a league double- header in West Memphis.
Four different players took to the mound in the two games for Sylvan Hills, with Ace Tony Pavan taking the win in the opener and Ross Bogard taking the win in the nightcap.
The hits were not limitless for the Bears during the course of the evening, but a number of multi-base smacks allowed them to keep enough offensive momentum going to thwart any hopes of producing a big comeback for West Memphis.
“We had a good pitching performance from all of the guys that threw,” Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton said. “We could have swung the bat better; we still have yet to put a complete game together with good batting and good defense, but we are very pleased to come out with two wins on the road.”
Mark Turpin put up the first two scores of the evening in the top of the first inning in game one with a two-run home run. Turpin finished the game as the big hitter for Sylvan Hills with three hits.
With the game well in hand for the Bears in the bottom of the fourth with 6-2 lead, Pavan stepped aside from the mound to allow Blaine Sims to throw the final four innings. Sims did not allow a score through his first three innings, but a five-run rally from the Blue Devils in the bottom of the seventh erased his solid stats.
Taylor Roark came close to matching Turpin at the plate, finishing 2 for 3 for the first game’s other strong offensive performance.
Game two proved to be much tighter, with both teams deadlocked at one run apiece until a three-run frame for the Bears in the top of the fourth inning. West Memphis answered for two of those runs in the fifth inning, but it would be as close as they would come.
Blake Evans threw the first three innings of the game before giving way to Bogard, who would earn the win for the Bears.
Hunter Miller set up the first score of the game with a double in the top of the first inning. Mark Turpin then sent him in with a double of his own with two outs that put Sylvan Hills out front 1-0. The Blue Devils tied things in the bottom of the second with a run, and the contest would stay that way until the top of the fourth.
Taylor Roark and Miller led offensively for Sylvan Hills in the game, going 2 for 3 from the plate. The two wins improve the Bears’ record to 12-5 overall and 5-1 in the 6A-East Conference.
Sylvan Hills will take place in the Conway baseball tournament this weekend. Tournament play will begin on Friday with a game against Olive Branch, Miss., followed by a Saturday game with Fort Smith Southside and host Conway on Sunday. The Bears will return to East action Tuesday with doubleheader at home against Mountain Home.
