West Advances to Regional by Completing Win Over Napa

The coffee was still warm and the pastries half-eaten here Tuesday morning when the Woodland Hills West American Legion baseball team had disposed of Napa, 21-12, in the completion of Monday’s suspended game in the California State American Legion championships.

After the game had been called because of darkness at the end of the seventh inning Monday night with Woodland Hills leading, 18-12, the teams met for breakfast at 8 a.m. to finish their business.

The winner, assured of a second-place finish and a regional berth, would advance to the championship game against undefeated Fullerton. The loser would get to go back to bed.

West gladly stayed awake as pitcher Lance Gibson (10-2) fired two shutout innings at sleepy Napa to garner the win for his team--all before 9 a.m.

Three hours later, Fullerton squeaked by the Woodland Hills reserves, 11-10, in 10 innings to win the state title. But that was of little consequence in the long run. West’s primary objective was to beat a stubborn and good Napa team. Gibson’s arm helped achieve that goal.

“Lance did a job,” West Coach Gary Gibson said. “He had thrown 120 pitches for us in the tournament and he threw 80 more today. He did a hell of a job.”

With Napa out of the way and at least second place clinched, the only question left facing West regarded travel plans. Would the team be headed to Lewiston, Ida., for the Western regionals next week, as was mandated for the second-place team? Or would it be headed for Union City, Calif., for that Western regional, as was the destination of the tournament champion?

Considering the fact that Fullerton had to lose twice Tuesday--by virtue of its unbeaten tournament record--and the fact that Gibson started a lineup composed almost entirely of reserves when West took the field at about 9:45 a.m., it appeared that second place and a trip to the Northwest was just fine.

On the mound for Woodland Hills was Paul Geller, who hadn’t pitched seriously in three years. Against Fullerton’s potent bats, then, the outcome was surely a forgone conclusion.

And when Fullerton posted four runs in the first inning, everything seemed right on schedule.

But Gibson, the starters and the 100 spectators in attendance seemed to have forgotten about the determination of a reserve who finally gets playing time. While the regulars in the Woodland Hills dugout munched on chili dogs and drank Coke, the reserves broke loose.

In the sixth, with West trailing, 4-1, Gregg Sheren stroked a run-scoring single to get things started. Chris Castillo then scored on a balk and Del Marine, one of the few regulars playing, tied the score with a run-scoring double. Greg Lederman then scored Marine with a single to right field and suddenly it was 5-4, Woodland Hills.

Meanwhile, on the mound, Geller was stellar. Mixing speeds against the strong Fullerton lineup, Geller caused a power outage for eight innings. Not about to let up when it was having so much fun, West added four runs in the eighth. It was 10-5, Woodland Hills, and, much to the disbelief of almost all present, it appeared as if a final sudden-death game would be played to determine the champion.

Alas, form prevailed as Fullerton rallied for five runs to tie the score and eventually win, 11-10, in the 10th on a Tom Wilson sacrifice fly.

After the game, West first baseman Ryan McGuire was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Introduced as “Mr. Hustle,” by the public-address announcer, McGuire’s totals proved him worthy of the honor: 10 hits in 17 at-bats, six runs scored, 12 RBIs, four home runs (one a grand slam), one save and four boxes of sweet potatoes.

That last item came courtesy of the American Legion in recognition of his four home runs.

EXORCISM

Woodland Hills West gathered in the still of the night to remove the demons that plagued its bats in the state tournament. Page 11