Baseball: Kennedy takes control of first place in Valley Mission League [Video]

The Valley Mission League race is pretty much over, and Granada Hills Kennedy will be soon celebrating its first league title since 2011.

That’s the outcome after the Golden Cougars (18-7, 7-1) completed a sweep of Sylmar on Thursday, winning, 9-0, behind junior pitcher Gilbert Hernandez, who struck out five, walked two and allowed three hits.

Kennedy has a one-game lead over San Fernando with only four games left against Canoga Park and Panorama, two schools that are unlikely to defeat the Golden Cougars. It marks a triumph for Coach Andy Rodriguez, who took over a program in disarray two years ago after the dismissal of longtime Coach Manny Alvarado.

“It’s pretty amazing,” junior catcher Chris Sandberg said of the rise of the Golden Cougars. Sandberg had three hits Thursday, including a pair of two-run singles.

“They’ve had to overcome a lot from when I got here and what they’ve had to endure,” Rodriguez said.

Clearly, Kennedy is relying on defense (shortstop Nick Rodriguez is the best in the league) and pitching (Hernandez and Felix Rubi have been a good one-two combination).

Sylmar’s defense collapsed in the fourth inning of a scoreless game when a bunt was thrown away for an error and a single to left field went through the legs of the outfielder, scoring two runs.

Meanwhile, Hernandez (7-0) was steady and let the Spartans hit the ball to his fielders. Rodriguez, who signed with UNLV this past week, had a single and double. His brother, Estevan, also had a single and double.

Kennedy will be playing for a top four seeding in the Division I playoffs the rest of the way and should be a dangerous team as long as it keeps relying on pitching and defense.

Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com