Sun Valley Cranks Out 3rd Victory in a Row : Baseball: American Legion team gathers momentum by cruising to a 9-6 win over Reseda.

So the sting of the disappointing high school season is over. The swelling from the postseason bumps and bruises has gone away.

Poly High, now playing under its American Legion moniker of Sun Valley, is again ravaging teams in regular-season play. Of course, that’s nothing new.

The question is whether Sun Valley, which over the past several summers has consistently fielded one of District 20’s most talented teams, can finally climb the postseason mountain.

“I know it’s a good ballclub,” Sun Valley Coach Les Riley said. “We’ve always done well in the regular season. I don’t know why, but playoffs seem to be the main hurdle.”

Sun Valley sidestepped a late challenge from Reseda and hung on to win, 9-6, Friday at Poly to notch its third District 20 victory in a row.

Sun Valley’s lineup is more than a little similar to that of Poly. The players, having tasted disappointment last month when the high school team fell in the City Section 4-A Division playoff playoffs, are committed to prime-time redemption.

“We’re ready to play,” said Robert Aros, a starter in the outfield on both teams. “Everybody’s back. We have fun, but we want to play on ESPN.”

Sure, there are a few leaps and bounds left before Sun Valley (3-1) plays in the nationally televised World Series final, but the team’s offense seems unmatched in the district. Of course, that was the case two weeks ago too.

Sun Valley dropped its District 20 opener to Van Nuys-Notre Dame, one week after Poly was eliminated by Banning in the semifinal round of the playoffs. At one juncture of the regular season, Poly was the top-ranked team in California.

“That was like a practice game,” Aros said of the loss to Van Nuys. “There wasn’t much intensity.”

Against Reseda, Sun Valley came within a run of putting the ten in intensity. Aros and the top of the Sun Valley batting order shelled Reseda’s pitching as Jonathan Campbell, Aros and Marlon McKinney combined for seven hits, four stolen bases and eight runs batted in.

Aros jump-started Sun Valley in the first inning with a two-run home run over the fence in right.

In the second, following a walk to Victor Trujillo, Campbell singled and stole second. Aros drove home Trujillo with a base hit to center. McKinney and Gabe Chavez each added a run-scoring sacrifice fly to give Sun Valley a 5-1 lead.

With the bases loaded and none out in the fifth, Campbell (three hits) drove in his second run on an infield ground out and Aros singled home two more to give him three hits and five RBIs.

Jeff Deal, a right-hander from Village Christian, allowed one earned run over five innings to earn his first victory. Deal gives Sun Valley--which also has 1990 Poly graduate Eddie Castellanos on the roster--yet another live arm.

Trailing, 9-2, Reseda (2-3) scored four runs in the sixth to crawl within striking range. Joey Tushnet (two hits) tripled home two runs to key the rally and Poly committed two errors.

Sun Valley reliever Jake Loveridge pitched a scoreless seventh, however.