The Bell Eagles will take on the Sylmar Spartans in a tournament on Saturday. Bell will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
On Thursday, Bell made easy work of South Gate and carried off a 7-1 victory. Considering the Eagles have won six contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Adolfo Esquivel tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Armando Aguilar, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4. Jayden Rojas was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.
Bell hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Sylmar entered their tilt with San Fernando on Thursday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They walked away with a 4-1 win over the Tigers.
Victor Espinoza looked comfortable as he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Sylmar saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alex Martinez, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI. Those three hits gave Martinez a new career-high. Another was Timothy Sepulveda, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Sylmar's victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.6 runs on average over those games. As for Bell, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season.
Bell beat Sylmar 3-0 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Do the Eagles have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Spartans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
