Baseball: Lucas Giolito unleashes 94-mph fastball

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North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake and Valencia had a baseball scrimmage Monday, which was an opportunity to see junior right-hander Lucas Giolito of Harvard-Westlake pitch against junior third baseman Trey Williams of Valencia. They are two of the best in California.

Giolito, a UCLA commit, pitched one inning. He started the game with three consecutive balls, then threw two strikes and got a groundout. Then came another groundout. Up came Williams, and what a duel it was.

Giolito threw consecutive 94-mph fastballs and struck out Williams looking on a 2-and-2 count. He is much more in control of his pitches than he was in his sophomore year, so it will be a surprise if he is not dominant on the mound.

Later, Pepperdine-bound Quincy Quintero of Valencia lined a double against another pitcher. And Harvard-Westlake’s highly regarded freshman Jack Flaherty began his prep career with a double and added a home run. All the reports about his special ability appear true. Valencia won the game, 5-3.

Giolito is scheduled to start on Friday in the season opener against Calabasas.

-- Eric Sondheimer