West Finds Little Relief in Legion Playoff Win

Woodland Hills West right-hander Jason Mitchell will undoubtedly file the following under the heading of forgettable quotes.

Moments before Mitchell’s start in a second-round American Legion Area 6 playoff game against Santa Monica on Friday, West Coach Gary Gibson told a bystander that Mitchell “would be this close to the hook for as long as he lasts.”

As he spoke, Gibson held up his thumb and forefinger, which were spaced a mere half-inch apart. Mitchell was sitting well within earshot.

Mitchell, however, pitched 7 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run. And as it turned out, it was West’s relief pitching that came this close to blowing a three-run lead in the top of the ninth of a 6-5 victory at Birmingham High.

How close? The game’s final out was recorded when Santa Monica’s Eddie Barajas was gunned down at the plate by first baseman Ryan McGuire following a throwing error by third baseman Del Marine.

West plays District 20 rival Panorama City--also unbeaten in two tournament games--today at Birmingham at 12:30.

Mitchell (5-0) came out in the eighth after surrendering three consecutive singles to allow Santa Monica to close to within 5-3. With runners on first and second, West right-hander Sean Boldt struck out Rudy Freeman on a 3-and-2 pitch. The runners advanced, however, when the third strike eluded catcher Bobby Kim, who threw out Freeman at first for the second out. After working the count to 1-and-2 to Andrew Bernstein, Boldt grooved one that Bernstein roped to left.

Left fielder Jason Cohen caught the ball with a back-handed dive near the line for the third out, after which West assistant Don Hornback gave Boldt an earful.

“They say it’s a game of inches,” Hornback said, holding his thumb and forefinger a couple of inches apart. “If that pitch is this much more over the plate, they probably win the game.”

West (25-3) took advantage of an error in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6-3 lead. It seemed like little more than insurance at the time.

Boldt walked leadoff batter Brett Schafer to open the ninth. After Steve Wachler struck out looking--and was ejected for spitting tobacco juice at the plate umpire--pinch-hitter David Reed doubled to right, Schafer taking third.

Barajas followed with a run-scoring single to left to cut the lead to 6-4. Reed then scored on Justin Wilson’s sacrifice fly to make it 6-5.

With cleanup batter Ty Miller on deck--he was three for four--Kevin Seidel hacked a chopper down the line to Marine at third. Marine fielded the ball cleanly, but threw it in the dirt past McGuire at first for an error. Barajas rounded third as McGuire chased after the ball, but was thrown out when McGuire fired a knee-high strike to Kim. Barajas’ head-first dive left him with nothing more than a mouthful of dirt.

Out. By this much.

“An ugly win, huh?” Gibson said.

Mitchell, who was only expected to last a few innings, instead kept West in the game. He allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked one.

“I felt I could have completed it,” Mitchell said of his removal in the seventh. “They told me from the start that if I got behind, I was gone. I was leading and I wasn’t tired, I was fine.”

Mitchell, like Boldt, was singed by some shaky defense. In the seventh, a throwing error by Marine helped allow two unearned runs to score as Santa Monica moved to within 3-2. But after consecutive singles by Wilson, Seidel and Miller in the eighth, Mitchell was done in by his own hand.

“It was the right move,” Gibson said. “If he gives up another hit right there, the momentum’s totally gone.