Pair of Losses Squeeze East From Playoffs : American Legion baseball: Woodland Hills overmatched by Claremont, 13-7, blows lead against Westchester, 6-5.

Hustle and heart are nice for a baseball team, but they are no match for an opponent with simply more talent.

Intangibles carried Woodland Hills East through the American Legion District 20 playoffs and into the Area 6 playoffs, but it was Claremont that had a lineup full of sluggers and a defense that seemed to be able to turn a double play whenever one was needed.

As a result, Claremont defeated East, 13-7, Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The day got worse for East, which blew a 5-0 lead against Westchester and fell, 6-5, on a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the ninth. East (20-11) was eliminated and Claremont faces Westchester today at noon.

If Westchester wins, the teams will meet again 30 minutes later to determine the representative to the state playoffs Aug. 7-10 in Yountville.

“We were all pretty pumped after beating (Woodland Hills West on Friday),” said East pitcher Stacy Kleiner, who gave up the winning runs in the second game. “We thought we’d win at least one today.”

East stuck with Claremont for a while. After falling behind, 4-0, East scored three runs with two out in the sixth. Two scored on a pinch double by John Soto. But in the top of the seventh, East gave it all back and more. Warren Stewart (6-2), who had pitched well, gave up five runs on four hits and two walks.

“My team scores some runs for me and I’m supposed to be pumped up,” Stewart said. “But I got out there and just had nothing.

“I’ve never thrown the ball as hard in my life as I did (at the start of the game), but by the fourth inning, my arm was sauce.”

Woodland Hills East dipped into its bullpen but Dusty Cook, Rusty Jenkins and Josh Irving allowed four more runs. Claremont (38-9-2) pounded out 17 hits. In three Area 6 playoff games, two of which it has won by the 10-run rule, Claremont has scored 36 runs.

“They are a great hitting team,” Stewart said.

Claremont did not commit an error and turned inning-ending double plays in the second, third, fourth and fifth.

Trailing, 3-0, in the second, East loaded the bases with one out. Kleiner hit a 3-2 pitch to center fielder Justin Long, who made the catch and nailed David Helman at the plate.

In the second game, Kleiner came on in relief in the eighth inning. He retired the first batter in the ninth, then walked Rod Washington. Robert Cox followed with a run-scoring triple to right field. Dana Harrison laid down a suicide squeeze to score the winning run.

The most interesting play of the second game came in the top of the fifth, when Stewart popped up a bunt in front of the plate. Westchester catcher Jose Rosales dropped the ball, but then started an apparent around-the-horn triple play.

However, the umpires ruled that Rosales had dropped the ball intentionally, and returned the runners to their bases. East subsequently scored three runs in the inning and took a 5-0 lead.

Westchester 11, Ventura 10--Ventura, the District 16 champion, trailed, 10-0, in the third, but its rally fell short and the team was eliminated at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Trailing, 11-2, Ventura (19-7) scored three in the fifth, four in the sixth and one in the eighth. Ventura left the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the eighth and left a runner at second in the ninth.

Ventura left-hander James Melcher pitched seven strong innings in relief of John French (2-3). Melcher allowed three earned runs and five hits, striking out six. In the last four innings, he gave up only one hit and one walk. Ventura’s Gary Paul led the 17-hit attack with four hits. John McNamara had three hits and the first three batters in the order--Brandon Knight, Melcher and Monte Moritz--each had two hits.