Weary Nealon Preserves a Win for Poly

Greg Nealon, recovering from mononucleosis, started on the mound for Poly High in the Parrots’ 5-3 victory over Sylmar on Wednesday hoping to last four innings.

That he did, earning the victory by allowing only two hits before being replaced by Nick Lymberopoulos to begin the fifth with the Parrots leading, 4-0. Nealon retired to first base, hoping no one would notice if he yawned during the final three innings.

“I was getting real tired,” Nealon said. “They only wanted me to go so many innings.”

But Nealon (9-0) not only had to suppress yawns, he was summoned to suppress the Spartans with one out and the bases loaded in the seventh and Poly holding a 5-1 lead.

He struck out the first batter he faced before Brad McGahan’s single scored two runs when left fielder Eddie Chavez bobbled the ball. The next batter was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Nealon induced Art Monreal to ground out to second, thereby preserving the win.

“My legs are really out of shape,” Nealon said. “In baseball, in our league, they’re our big rivals and we usually go 1-2 with them, so it’s real nice to beat them three times.”

Sylmar had failed to score against Poly in its first two meetings and it looked like the Spartans were going to fail again; through the first five innings, they had managed just two hits and three baserunners.

But Martin Valencia led off the sixth with a routine ground ball that Nealon, who was playing first, could not field cleanly. Lymberopoulos picked off Valencia but the Parrots botched the ensuing rundown and Valencia returned safely to first. Two batters later, Valencia scored from third on a sacrifice fly to left field by Jose Gallegos, snapping the 19-inning scoring drought against Poly.

“We scored against them at least,” Sylmar Coach John Klitsner said.

The loss leaves Sylmar (11-9, 10-6) in a tie for second with North Hollywood, a 6-3 winner Wednesday over Fairfax.

Poly (18-3, 16-1), which has clinched the East Valley League title, scored four times in the fourth. Rodrigo Fuentes hit a two-run double to right-center field to give Poly a 3-0 lead, and he scored scored when Harold Whiteside got aboard on a two-base error by center fielder McGahan.