Sylmar Stops Poly for Second Time in 3 Days, 11-3

Two days after upsetting Poly High, the state’s top-ranked 4-A Division baseball team, Sylmar gave an encore performance Thursday, pounding the host Parrots in an 11-3 East Valley League win.

Sylmar (17-6, 13-2 in league play) and Poly (20-3, 13-2), which both have clinched playoff berths, are tied for first place with two games remaining in league play.

On Thursday, however, the Parrots were not prepared to play, according to Poly Coach Jerry Cord.

“We folded,” Cord said. “But give Sylmar all the credit in the world. They came to play.

“It’s disappointing when a group like this plays so well all year long, then you get to a meaningful game and play so poorly.”

The Spartans, who lost to Poly, 3-0, seven weeks ago, had to come back from a 5-0 deficit Tuesday to earn a 7-6 victory. But the third meeting between the two teams was all Sylmar.

The Spartans jumped to a 5-1 lead after two innings, then added two runs in the third and four in the fifth. It was Poly’s most lopsided loss of the season.

Sylmar collected 12 hits off a trio of Poly pitchers.

Poly starter Raul Torres (5-1), who entered the game with a league-low 0.82 earned-run average, struggled through 2 1/3 innings, throwing 58 pitches, walking three batters and hitting another three. Reliever Jake Loveridge also lasted just 2 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, including four consecutive singles with two out in the fifth.

Sylmar’s Dereck Ornelas and Robert Garcia each went three for three with three runs batted in. Ornelas also walked twice and Garcia twice was hit by pitches.

Garcia was equally impressive defensively. He had an assist and five putouts from his third-base position, including a throw on the run to get Marlon McKinney at first after a bunt.

James Encinas (5-2) virtually silenced the Parrots, who have nine players batting better than .300, scattering eight hits.

Robert Aros was three for four with a triple and two runs scored for Poly.