Woodland Hills (West) Pulls Out 8-7 Victory

It was set up to be a mismatch.

Woodland Hills (West) was 14-2 and carried an 11-game winning streak into Saturday’s American Legion District 20 baseball game against lowly Reseda-Cleveland (4-14), which has struggled with its pitching.

But Reseda-Cleveland bucked the odds for 8 1/2 innings and scored five runs in the top of the ninth to take a 7-6 lead before losing on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the inning, 8-7.

“There is no hesitation for this team to rise to the occasion,” Woodland Hills Coach Gary Gibson said.

“The thought of losing never entered our minds,” designated-hitter Mike Kerber added.

A Woodland Hills’ loss entered the Reseda-Cleveland players’ minds when Tom Gibson doubled to right-center field to score Bill Wickert and Pat Huston with two out in the ninth, putting Reseda-Cleveland ahead for the first time.

Woodland Hills starter Pat Treend had held Reseda-Cleveland to two hits over six innings--retiring 15 batters in a row at one stretch--until Reseda-Cleveland put together a couple of hits in the seventh to get on the scoreboard.

Left fielder Steve Smith replaced Treend in the eighth and gave up an RBI single to Gibson, then walked the first two batters in the ninth before giving way to sophomore sensation Ryan McGuire.

McGuire, selected as the state’s outstanding sophomore this year, promptly struck out Aaronn Castro but walked Bill Holodnak and Tony Holiday to force in a run. Wickert’s fielder’s choice scored two more and Pat Huston was hit by a pitch, setting up Gibson’s double.

Lance Mandel lined to third baseman Bryce Welch to end the inning.

But in the bottom of the inning, Kerber, Welch and Denny Vigo hit consecutive singles to left. Gene Demyon followed with a single to right to score pinch-runner Jason Cohen, then Ron Conway (0-2), normally a catcher, walked McGuire on a 3-2 pitch to force over the winning run.