Sleepy West Answers Alarm Just in Time : American Legion: Woodland Hills team wakes up in seventh to win, 8-6, after spotting Lakewood a 5-0 lead.

The headline in the local morning newspaper screamed, “The Best in America.” Under the headline was a large photo of Woodland Hills West Coach Don Hornback and third baseman Del Marine, smiles all around.

For most of West’s first-round game Saturday in the American Legion state tournament, this could have qualified as the ultimate in editorial license.

In a game that started at a yawn past 9 a. m., the defending World Series champions managed just one hit over the first six innings and kicked the ball around often enough to hand Lakewood a five-run lead. Marine struck out his first three times up.

“I don’t know what it was,” West right-hander Pat Treend said. “We went to bed early last night. We didn’t ransack any restaurants or throw ice out of any windows.”

Or maybe Lakewood merely got hold of a better cup of coffee--on its roster was a reserve named Juan Valdez.

“It was early in the morning,” West catcher Bobby Kim said. “I was nervous, real nervous, and it seemed like my whole body was tired.”

Kim and crew’s lumber finally snapped out of its slumber, however, scoring eight runs in the seventh to defeat Lakewood, 8-6, at Cleve Borman Field. West (32-6) will play Union City in the second round at noon today.

West, which lost its opener here last year--another morning start--seemed about ready to nod off for good before getting things rolling against Lakewood left-hander David Reeser.

Through six innings, West had one single, a third-inning grounder to center by outfielder Chris Castillo. Reeser, who will be a senior in the fall at Lakewood High, retired 18 of the first 22 batters he faced, which was enough to finally send West first baseman Jason Cohen into a Friday the 13th-style tizzy.

“Jason went crazy in the dugout in the seventh,” Castillo said. “I’ve never seen him like that. He was screaming his head off, going nuts.”

Kim led off the seventh with a line single to left. Reeser, who had fanned seven and walked three over the first six innings, then faded. He walked Sean Boldt and Gregg Sheren on eight pitches to load the bases for Castillo, who sent a liner into left to make it 5-1.

One out later, Paul Geller doubled to left-center, driving in Boldt and Sheren to cut the Lakewood lead to 5-3. Reeser then hit Jeff Marks in the back to reload the bases and was relieved by his younger brother, Dan, another left-hander.

Marine, who didn’t have many good swings against Dave, didn’t look too dapper against Dan, either. Marine topped one down the third-base line, where Richard Alvarez stepped on the bag for a forceout and gunned to first for what could have been an inning-ending double play. But the throw was in the dirt and skipped down the line into foul territory. Two runs scored and a slightly confused Marine wheeled all the way over to third.

“I didn’t see what happened,” Marine said. “I stopped running. I thought it was a foul ball.”

Cohen’s single drove in Marine to give West a 6-5 lead and Kim--whose single started the outburst--then slammed a 400-plus-foot bomb over the scoreboard in left for an 8-5 lead. It was the sixth home run of the summer for the red-hot Kim, who is 15 for 28 with 14 runs batted over the past seven games.

Kim figured that West was tired early. Lakewood napped later on.

“It started getting scary,” Kim said. “Luckily, (David Reeser) started getting tired around the sixth.”

Lakewood (25-5) scored three runs in the second and two in the third to take a 5-0 lead off Treend. West errors--the defending World Series champion committed eight--led to all five runs.

Boldt dropped a fly ball in right to open the second and Lakewood banged out three consecutive two-out, run-scoring singles for a 3-0 lead.

In the third, Geller booted a routine grounder at second with two out and Treend surrendered back-to-back, run-scoring doubles by Shawn Clodfelder and Alvarez as Lakewood took a 5-0 lead.

And you thought Cohen was upset?

“(Treend) was getting really . . . off,” Kim said. “He was throwing his glove in the dugout. He kept yelling, ‘Play some defense and get me some hits off this . . . 11th-grader.’ ”

Treend (7-3) had a legitimate gripe. He did not allow an earned run, struck out 10 and walked four. He allowed nine hits, but only three over the final six innings.

“That was typical of us,” Kim said. “We get our butts kicked for a while and then we come back later.”

And later, as in today’s noon start, had better not come any sooner.