AMERICAN LEGION DISTRICT 20 PLAYOFFS : Sun Valley Caught Stealing : Elimination: Top-seeded team falls to Panorama City after ninth-inning strategy fails against Woodland Hills East.

Sun Valley Coach Les Riley went for broke in the ninth inning of Thursday’s American Legion playoff game with Woodland Hills East at Birmingham High. But after the last out was recorded, it was his team that was left to pick up the pieces.

With Sun Valley trailing, 4-3, with two out and runners on second and third, Riley sent Robert Aros home from third. On a 1-1 count, Eric Rothman threw a low fastball that catcher Carey Wilbur caught cleanly, tagging Aros a couple of yards from the plate to end the American Legion District 20 playoff game.

“I figured (Aros) could beat the pitcher; he just didn’t leave soon enough,” Riley said. “It was a straight steal, a flip of the coin. I was hoping something would break and it didn’t.”

Woodland Hills East (21-4) and Woodland Hills West (21-4), the only teams still undefeated in the double-elimination tournament, will meet today at 4 p.m. at Birmingham. Sun Valley (20-6), which entered the tournament as the top-seeded team among eight teams, was eliminated later Thursday, dropping a 7-1 decision to Panorama City.

Panorama City’s Russell Ortiz (5-1) left little doubt about the result of the second game, handcuffing Sun Valley on four hits over eight innings. The conclusion of the first game was a little more controversial, though, and although East Coach Matt Borzello benefited from Riley’s failed ninth-inning strategy, he questioned it just the same.

“(It) was a gutsy call, I guess, but it shows me that they don’t believe in the kid at the plate,” Borzello said. “You have to believe in the batter at the plate.”

That batter was designated-hitter Sef Carlin, who was hitless in three at-bats Thursday after batting .370 during the regular season.

The bizarre ending offered a fitting conclusion to a game that was sloppily played throughout. The game-winning run, for instance, was one of only two earned runs in the game and it came home in the bottom of the seventh inning on a ground out by a batter Borzello felt should have been on first base.

A one-out infield single by Wilbur, a ground-rule double by Benji Belfield and an intentional walk to Jamie Zeichick loaded the bases for John Erganian, who quickly worked the count to 3-2. Or at least Borzello thought it was 3-2.

The next pitch from Sun Valley’s Jake Loveridge (6-2) wasn’t even close, hitting the dirt to the left of the plate. But Erganian didn’t move and Loveridge was almost set to wind up again before Borzello ran in from the third-base coaching box to question the count.

Both the plate umpire and Erganian thought the pitch was ball three, and when Borzello and the official scorer argued otherwise, the field umpire admitted that he, too, had the count at 3-2.

So rather than walking to force in a run, Erganian had to face another pitch, which he grounded to second, scoring Wilbur.

“It was a costly mistake, because there were now two outs with a run in, instead of one out,” Borzello said. “We could no longer use the squeeze play or try to manufacture a run.”

Belfield led a 10-hit East attack, going four for four with a pair of doubles. Rothman (6-0) went the distance for East, finishing with a seven-hitter.

In the nightcap, Roland De La Maza had two hits--including a double--in four at-bats to spark a balanced attack for Panorama City (20-6).

Dave Unter relieved Ortiz in the ninth and retired Sun Valley in order to preserve the win.