Woodland Hills West Sweeps Into State Playoffs : American Legion: Defending World Series champions take a pair from Claremont to win 6th Area title from the loser’s bracket.

Woodland Hills West confirmed Sunday that it can win American Legion baseball tournaments two ways--through the winners’ bracket and through the losers’ bracket.

A week after claiming the District 20 championship with four consecutive victories, West beat Claremont in a doubleheader, 5-2 and 16-7, to cap a five-game march through the losers’ bracket of the 6th Area playoffs at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium and capture its second title in a row.

West, which was forced to play five games in three days after a first-round loss to Claremont, advances to the state playoffs Aug. 4-7 in Yountville, Calif.

“This is a great win. Two doubleheaders in a row,” said West Coach Don Hornback, whose team won twice on Saturday as well. “I think the impressive thing is that we won with five different pitchers.”

Paul Geller, normally West’s starting second baseman, and Pat Treend, a tenacious right-hander, notched complete-game wins Sunday. Geller (5-0) scattered eight hits--seven of them singles--in the first game and did not allow an earned run.

“We played great defense today; some of those guys hit some shots,” said Geller, who started for the first time in a month. “I was relying on my defense because that’s the kind if pitcher I am. I don’t really strike people out.”

Geller was being modest. He struck out seven and walked one.

In the nightcap, Treend (5-3) allowed 16 hits--13 of them singles--in avenging his loss in the first round.

That loss snapped West’s 20-game winning strike and left the defending World Series champions one loss away from elimination.

Corey Bromberg and Terry Morrow each recorded victories Saturday while Sean Boldt picked up a win Friday. Only Morrow failed to record a complete game, pitching 8 1/3 innings before yielding to Geller.

Claremont Coach Jack Helber, on the other hand, couldn’t find an ace in his pitching staff and did more shuffling than a Las Vegas blackjack dealer.

The District 18 champion used three pitchers in allowing West just six hits in the first game. But in the nightcap Helber utilized seven hurlers--three of them in the fourth inning when West sent 12 batters to the plate before an out was recorded.

West’s nine-run onslaught gave it a 10-5 advantage, wiping out a 5-1 Claremont lead.

“I thought we had the momentum,” Helber said. “But we could not find an out and we could not find the plate.”

Claremont pitchers frequently found the dirt in front of home plate, the air above batters’ heads and both batters’ boxes, but seldom the catcher’s glove. West received 14 walks--four each in the fourth and sixth innings.

In the first game, starter Jaime Rodriguez (5-3) issued eight walks in 4 1/3 innings and was charged with all five West runs.

“We walked too many guys. You can’t win games that way,” Helber said.

Despite being down, 11-5, after 5 1/2 innings in the second game, Helber said he felt his team was still in contention. West’s Bobby Kim quickly gave Helber a new outlook.

With two out, reliever Bob Skapik, Claremont’s fourth pitcher, walked Del Marine and Jason Cohen, then fed Kim a low 1-2 breaking ball. Kim drove the ball about 430 feet, well beyond the left-center-field fence, for a 14-5 lead.

“We were getting down but at the same time it was only the (sixth) inning,” Helber said. “But Kim’s blast put it out of sight. That was the killer.”