AREA 6 AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL TOURNAMENT : Raba, Camarillo Throttle Sepulveda

Eric Raba did not exactly appear from the mists of the cornstalks beyond center field, but it was pretty darn close.

Raba, a right-hander and a 1990 graduate of Camarillo High, was expected to play with other college-age players this summer in the Kansas Jayhawk League, but he changed his mind at the last minute.

Raba walked in during tryouts for the Camarillo American Legion team, causing Coach Gary Wagner to do a double-take.

“He just sort of appeared,” Wagner said. “We didn’t count on him being here, but it’s a good thing he showed up, because we were a little thin on pitching.”

Raba made Sepulveda look thin on hitting Thursday, throwing a seven-hitter to lead Camarillo to a 5-1 victory in a first-round game of the Area 6 playoffs at Moorpark College.

Raba (7-1) allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked six. Camarillo (25-8) will face Conejo, a 14-4 winner over Santa Monica in another first-round game, at 4:30 p.m. today at Moorpark. Camarillo defeated Conejo in two of three regular-season meetings.

Trailing, 5-1, in the top of the seventh, Sepulveda loaded the bases with two out. But Chris Portugal, who was two for two as he stepped in, flied out to center on a Raba change-up.

Sepulveda (22-7) dug a hole for itself in the first inning when starter Russell Ortiz walked the first two batters he faced and hit the third. One run scored on Jon McMullen’s ground out and Mike Mitchell followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0.

Camarillo added a run in the second, when Ortiz (6-1) was banged around for four singles. Ortiz, a Times All-Valley player from Montclair Prep last spring, allowed four runs on seven hits in three innings. Relievers Steve Cain and Osman Khan allowed one run on three hits over the final five innings, but Sepulveda couldn’t solve Raba, who pitched last season at Ventura College.

This type of outing was just what Raba had in mind when he decided not to play in Kansas. There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home. . . .

“That’s a long way to go to not play much and to be sent home,” Raba said. “This was my last year of Legion, plus they needed pitching.”

Andy Shaw and Brad Fullmer each had two hits for District 20 champion Sepulveda, which will play Santa Monica today at 9 a.m. at Moorpark in an elimination game.

In other first-round games:

Woodland Hills West 15, Westchester 1--Greg Lederman had two hits and drove in three runs as defending state champion West won in a rout that was called after seven innings because of the 10-run rule.

Lederman, a third baseman, is 19 for 30 with 11 runs batted in during postseason play for West, which will play Santa Monica today at 12:30.

West (23-9) jumped on three Westchester pitchers for nine runs in the fifth inning to take a 13-1 lead. Right-hander Sean Boldt (6-3) pitched the first five innings and allowed a run on one hit--a solo home run in the fourth by Grant Hohman.

Justin Stark had three hits and two RBIs for West and teammates Aaron Weiss, Mike McLean and Justin Balser each added two hits to lead the 14-hit attack.

Balser’s three-run double keyed the rally in the fifth, during which West sent 14 batters to the plate. Stark had a single and double in the inning. Every West starter but second baseman Kent Cote--who was struck on the right elbow by a pitch and was removed from the game--had at least one hit.

Conejo 14, Santa Monica 4--Conejo (35-4) scored twice in the first and never let up in a game called after eight innings because of the 10-run rule.

David Skeels was three for three, hit a solo home run and stole two bases to lead Conejo, which had a tournament-high 16 hits.

Teammates Ryan Kritscher, Brent Christenson, Brian Sturges, Bryan Corey and Mike Moore each added two hits for Conejo, the District 16 champion.

Although right-hander Mike Lee (7-1) allowed 13 hits in seven innings, he was backed by three double plays and allowed only one earned run. Santa Monica, which had 15 hits, stranded 11 runners.

It was a long day for District 24 representatives Santa Monica and Westchester, which were outscored, 29-5, in two games.