West Wins to Advance in Regional : Treend’s Pitching, Cohen’s Catch Lift Woodland Hills

Sometimes, right or wrong, it pays to listen.

Take Woodland Hills West right-hander Pat Treend, for instance. After fighting control problems all season--he entered Thursday night’s American Legion Northwest region game with 56 walks in 74 2/3 innings--Treend’s eardrums were ringing with advice from teammates, fans and coaches.

Throw strikes.

“I probably heard that more times than I’ve heard my name,” Treend said.

And then there is West left fielder Jason Cohen. With West holding a one-run lead in the top of the eighth inning against Billings, Mont., Cohen pulled down a long fly ball in left field that saved Treend’s bacon. And as Cohen sprinted back to make the over-the-shoulder catch, he was being counseled by teammate Carl McFadden, the center fielder.

“Right when I caught it, I slammed into the wall,” Cohen said. “Carl told me I had room, and I guess I really didn’t. It’s a good thing I listened, because if I didn’t, I probably would have played it off the wall.”

Cohen’s bat and glove and Treend’s arm--and their ears--were all West needed to beat Billings, 4-2, Thursday night at Lewis-Clark State College. West (32-5) will play Meridian, Ida., tonight at 8 in a third-round game.

With the score tied, 2-2, in the seventh, Cohen delivered a two-out, run-scoring single to give West a 3-2 lead. In the top of the eighth, his catch probably saved the game.

With a runner on first, Billings’ Steve Ketterling launched a rocket over Cohen’s head in left-center. Cohen, however, tracked it down, bounced off the wall, fell, then tossed the ball in to shortstop Ricky Banuelos. Billings’ Traver Hunter, who was on first base, sprinted to second on the play and was met there by Banuelos. The umpire signaled safe, so Banuelos sped over to first base, insisting that Hunter had not tagged up. After a conference of umpires, Hunter was called out to end the inning.

West scored an insurance run in the bottom of the inning on a ground out by Banuelos.

Treend (9-1), meanwhile, was rolling along. He finished with a five-hitter, struck out seven, walked four and allowed one earned run.

“That was as good as Patrick has pitched all year,” said Cohen, who should know, since he played all last season with Treend at El Camino Real High. “He walked a couple of guys, but they weren’t all at once. Once we took the 3-2 lead, I knew we were in good shape.”

After five scoreless innings, Billings took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth when West’s defense self-destructed. Scott Wiley led off with a line-drive single to left and moved to second when catcher Del Marine’s pickoff attempt at first sailed into right field.

One out later, Hunter sent a high chopper up the middle that Banuelos mishandled for an error, Wiley moving to third.

Ketterling forced Hunter at second base but beat the double-play relay to first as Wiley scored.

West loaded the bases with no outs against right-hander Jeff Uhren in the bottom of the fourth. Paul Geller and Ryan McGuire walked and moved over when Marine was plunked in the back by a Uhren fastball.

Cohen then flew out to Uhren--who dropped the ball two feet into fair territory near the plate--but the infield-fly rule was invoked.

Up stepped McFadden, who had doubled in his first at-bat, but Marine was picked off first by Uhren, who fanned McFadden on the next pitch to end the threat.

West finally put something together offensively in the sixth.

Geller walked to lead off the inning but was thrown out at second by first baseman Hunter, who chased down a wild pickoff throw by Uhren and fired to shortstop Brandy Bengoechea, who applied the tag. McGuire followed with a walk and scored when Marine drilled a double into the gap in right-center.

One out later, McFadden singled to left, Marine stopping at third. Third baseman Greg Lederman, starting because of an injury to Bobby Kim, lined a two-out single to right to score Marine for a 2-1 lead. That hit also chased Uhren.