Woodland Hills West Coasts to Area 6 Title, 9-2

Don Hornback will be spending most of Friday afternoon on the highway. While the rest of the Woodland Hills West baseball team will be winging its way skyward to the American Legion state playoffs in Yountville, Calif., Hornback will be several thousand feet below on Interstate 101.

“No flying for me,� the West assistant said. “I’m driving.�

A fear of rarefied heights certainly hasn’t affected the rest of the team. With its 9-2 win over Santa Monica in the Area 6 championship game Sunday at Birmingham High, West becomes only the second District 20 team since 1976 to advance to the state tournament, which opens Saturday.

How high is this team? West (27-3) has won 11 games in a row and 21 of 22. In four Area 6 playoff games, West outscored its opponents, 33-11. Sunday, right-hander Lance Gibson allowed one earned run on eight hits, struck out 11 and walked one, and now has 17 strikeouts in his last 17 innings. It will be West’s second shot at the title in four years--the team last advanced to the state tournament in 1986.

“I think this team has the three ingredients it takes to win it all,� West Coach Gary Gibson said. “Pitching, defense and hitting. I truly believe we have a very good shot at winning up there.�

For the fourth time in as many games, some individual performances ranked right up there . Thursday, Jason Cohen drove in four runs. Friday, Paul Geller had three hits and Jason Mitchell pitched 7 1/3 strong innings. Saturday, Jeff Marks drove in three runs and Ryan McGuire pitched three perfect innings of relief. Sunday, Del Marine and Lance Gibson each had three hits and four different players drove in runs.

“It seems like everybody contributes something every game,� Lance Gibson said.

West took a 3-0 lead in the first, due in large measure to an error on Santa Monica shortstop Kevin Seidel. Three consecutive one-out singles loaded the bases for Cohen, who bounced a perfect double-play ball to Seidel--who nearly missed it entirely. Two runs scored on the play and Marks drove in another with a sacrifice fly.

Gibson’s only rough inning came in the fourth, when he gave up four consecutive singles and was victimized by Cohen’s fielding error in left, which allowed an unearned run to score and Santa Monica to close within 3-2. Gibson, however, retired 16 of the final 17 batters--six via strikeout.