By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills summer baseball teams are off to a good start, especially the Junior American Legion/junior varsity extended summer team. The Bears certified for both since the American Legion Baseball national committee voted to allow dual certification for the first time.
On Monday, in a V/JV extended high school doubleheader, the Bears swept Pulaski Academy 10-0 and 10-1 at Sherwood Sports Complex.
There was no score in the varsity game until the fourth inning when Nick Fakouri got a five-run inning started with a two-run home run. Sylvan Hills added five more in the fifth to put an early end to the game.
Tucker Price went the distance on the mound and threw a three-hit shutout.
“We got off to a little bit of a slow start,” said Sylvan Hills summer league coach Matt Presson. “Nick hit that home run and that really got us going. We started really hitting the ball well from that point, and Tucker pitched a great game for us.”
It was just the American Legion Senior/Varsity team’s second game after opening the summer season last week with a loss to Conway in another extended high school game. It has yet to play its American Legion opener.
The Junior team is 4-0 overall and 3-0 in American Legion play. Jacob Galiano went the distance in the 10-1 win over PA on Monday. The Bruins threw four different pitchers in five innings and had trouble finding the strike zone, while the Bears were aggressive once they got on the base paths.
“We did a good job of putting a lot of pressure on them being very aggressive when we got on base,” Presson said.
Galiano gave up five hits and no earned runs in earning the win in game two.
The Junior team played an American Legion doubleheader on Sunday and swept the Little Rock Diamondbacks. The Bears won easily in the first game 16-7, and pulled out a 6-4 victory in game two.
Connor Young got the win in game one while Connor Beeching pitched in game two.
“Again, some of it was a case of getting a lot of walks and being very aggressive once on base,” Presson said. “But we also did a good job of getting good swings when it mattered. We got a lot of timely base hits. We’re playing pretty well right now.
The Bears play another home V/JV doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m. today against Lake Hamilton. They will host Morrilton in the same format beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.
