Woodland Hills West, Bromberg Dig Out of Hole to Beat Reseda

Two innings into Tuesday’s game against Reseda, Woodland Hills West pitcher Corey Bromberg was in a hole.

Not only was he down by a run after giving up three in the second inning, but he was also trying to pitch out of a dip in front of the pitching rubber and that was hindering his delivery.

Bromberg gradually adjusted his motion and pitch selection, limiting host Reseda to four hits and one run through the final five innings. Moreover, West scored three runs in the top of the seventh to give Bromberg a 7-4 win in the American Legion District 20 Western Division game.

That extended West’s winning streak to nine games and strengthened its hold on second place in the division standings.

“I changed my mechanics,” Bromberg said. “I pitched more sidearm, and I felt I had more control.”

Bromberg (2-1) began to rely more on his fastball as the game progressed and he faced only two batters over the minimum in the final four innings.

“He threw harder in the last three innings than in the first four,” West Coach Don Hornback said. “They didn’t have much luck with him at the end.”

While Bromberg compensated for the hole on the mound, both teams had to overcome holes in their lineups.

Two of Reseda’s top hitters, Joe Tushnet and Leo Tejada, missed the game, and four West starters--Bobby Kim, Jason Cohen, Pat Treend and Jeff Marks--are on a senior class trip to Hawaii.

“The four guys they didn’t have are good ballplayers,” Reseda Coach Howard Randall said. “I thought we had a good chance. I thought the difference was they are really an experienced, good defensive group.”

West (12-4) took a 2-0 lead after an inning and a half, but Reseda (9-7) answered with five singles and three runs in its half of the second. West pushed back on top with two runs in the fourth, and Reseda scored a run in the fifth to tie the score, 4-4.

But in the top of the seventh, West’s Greg Lederman and Sean Boldt drilled run-scoring doubles off the wall in left-center, and Boldt scored the game’s final run on a throwing error. West first baseman Chris Teich initiated a nifty double play in the bottom of the inning to nip a Reseda rally in the bud.

“I’m really proud of this effort, playing as shorthanded as we were,” Hornback said. “It’s fun when the guys that don’t play as much can come in and play and really contribute.”

All but two West starters hit safely in a 10-hit attack. Boldt, Teich and Lederman, who doubled and tripled, had two hits each.

Dylan Jones and Jeff Taylor each had two of Reseda’s nine hits.