Champions Will Raise Their Arms : Legion: With six games possible in four days, pitching should decide Area 6 playoffs. Double-elimination play starts today.

The six coaches whose American Legion teams begin play today in the Area 6 baseball playoffs say they have enough pitching to get through a possible six games in four days.

The next few days will reveal which one really does.

The double-elimination playoff begins with three games today at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium. Ventura (23-4) will play Claremont (31-20) at 10 a.m.; Camarillo (29-5) will play Newhall (24-2) at 2 p.m.; and Westchester (21-3) will play Arcadia (24-12) at 6 p.m.

The tournament will conclude Sunday, with the winner advancing to the state tournament in Yountville.

Ventura will send either James Melcher (5-0, 1.87 earned-run average) or Jeremy Pierce (6-0, 1.57) against Claremont’s Greg Shepherd (9-2, 3.59). Camarillo’s Aaron Hanel (10-2, 2.04) will face Newhall’s Chris Baker (10-0, 1.42) in the second game today.

District 18 champion Arcadia won at UCLA last year, but its chances to repeat might be hurt because Jason Cly (5-2, 3.64) may not be able to pitch because of a tired arm.

Cly, who leads the team with a .408 average, will play left field. Arcadia’s other top hitters are center fielder George Mendia (.353, 36 runs batted in), second baseman Benj Cruz (.318, 23 RBIs), shortstop Mack Paciorek (.353) and first baseman Robert O’Brien, who was 10 for 12 in the District 18 playoffs and was named most valuable player.

The pitchers who could replace Cly are Bryan Hawkins (2-2, 3.34) and Bryan Garber (6-4, 3.31). Arcadia may also use Josh Doud, a 6-foot-4 right-hander who was a freshman at San Marino High this spring. Doud shut out Calabasas in the Division IV playoffs, handing the Coyotes their only loss.

Claremont, which lost to Arcadia in the District 18 championship game, played its usual busy schedule this summer. Coach Jack Helber took the team on a three-week journey through Canada, Montana and South Dakota.

The 1993 Area 6 champion, Claremont has been led this summer by second baseman Rob Clobes (.402), first baseman Troy Kinto (.379, 42 RBIs), outfielder Dave Riffle (.336, seven home runs) and leadoff hitter Darren Williams (42 stolen bases). Other top pitchers are Jim Sollami (5-1, 3.79), Jeff Wilson (5-2, 4.11) and closer Brian Dorman (2.95, seven saves).

Adrian Stewart, son of recently-retired major league pitcher Dave Stewart, plays for Claremont.

Westchester, the District 24 champion, is led by shortstop Henry Jones, who played as a freshman at Nevada Las Vegas this spring, catcher Bennie Bishop and outfielder Mike Moultrie. The top starting pitchers are Brian Part (7-0), Andre Gomez (6-0) and Gary Hayes (6-0).

Camarillo, co-champion in District 16, might have the deepest pitching staff in the tournament. The staff includes Richard Soliz (10-0, 1.64), Daniel Martinez (2-0, 1.40) and Joe Borchard (5-0, 1.12). Camarillo also has 10 players hitting over .350, led by second baseman Rodell Desamparo (.573) and Mike Muller (.468, 13 home runs, 41 RBIs).

Newhall, which won its first District 20 title since 1974, relies on a powerful offense, led by first baseman Aaron Dean (.506, 10 home runs, 42 RBIs), outfielder Brian Baron (.573) and third baseman Eric Horvat (.424).

The pitching is strong through Baker, Brent Davidson (4-1, 2.98) and Ricky Engbrecht (5-0, 3.93)--but no other pitcher has thrown more than 16 2/3 innings.

Ventura, which tied Camarillo for the District 16 title, is led by left fielder Donnie Harrison (.425), first baseman Jason Kimball (.416) and catcher Monty Moritz (.318).

The pitching seems thin after Pierce, Melcher and Robert Verstraeten (three saves, 0.94). Daniel Rodriguez, Eric Farr and J.C. Holt pitched well lately, but none have thrown more than 25 innings.