Albuquerque Wins, 5-2, but West Still Will Play for Title : American Legion: Woodland Hills to face winner of game today between New Mexico entrant and Hawaii. At stake is the Southwest regional championship and a berth in the World Series.

UNION CITY, Calif. â€”  Doug Valdez missed much of his team’s American Legion season this summer. It seems he had a run-in with a rather imposing pickup truck.

His own.

Valdez, a left-hander for Albuquerque, N.M., drives one of those asphalt-eating four-wheel-drive jobs, the kind that practically warrant a stepladder just to get into the cab.

Or a parachute to get out. Valdez, according to his coach, broke his arm when he fell out of his truck.

Saturday night, Valdez rode roughshod over Woodland Hills West, tossing a four-hitter as New Mexico won, 5-2, in a fourth-round game of the Southwest regional tournament at Logan High.

New Mexico (49-10) and Hawaii will play today for the right to meet West (3 -7) in the championship game at 4 p.m. Hawaii advanced by beating Union City, 9-7, in an elimination game Saturday afternoon.

Even before its game with New Mexico, West had locked up a berth in today’s final. All three teams are 3-1 in the double-elimination tournament. The winner advances to the World Series, which starts Wednesday in Corvallis, Ore.

“It could have been a letdown,� West Coach Don Hornback said. “I don’t know, I can’t get inside their heads.�

Valdez struck out eight, walked two and completely shut down an apparently disinterested West team, which was held to four hits or less for the second time in three days. After the sixth inning--during which Valdez allowed two hits--he held West to one hit, Chris Castillo’s two-out double in the ninth.

“The lefty did a nice job; we just never did get rolling,� Hornback said. “The bats were quiet. Maybe when you hit the ball like we have over the last 45 games, you are due to get a little cold.� The loss, however, snapped West’s 12-game win streak. The team had won 32 of its past 33 games.

West is expected to start right-hander Pat Treend in the final. Trend (8-3) threw a four-hitter in a 4-2 defeat of Hawaii on Thursday.

New Mexico took a 3-1 lead in the fifth, sparked by a one-out bunt single by Gerard Pineda, who was badly fooled in his first two at-bats. After Pineda beat out a bunt down the third-base line, Kurston McMurray singled to center. With two out, West starter Tracy Morrow (5-1) yielded back-to-back run-scoring singles by Lance Moore and Jimmy Collins.

West moved to within 3-2 in the sixth, sparked by Bobby Kim’s two-out double to left. After Greg Lederman walked, Gregg Sheren singled into the hole off the glove of shortstop Moore to drive in Kim.

But New Mexico chased Morrow in the seventh. Morrow, who will be a junior at El Camino Real High in the fall, surrendered consecutive singles to McMurray and Moore. Collins followed with a looper to center that fell between a trio of charging West players. McMurray sped home and scored as center fielder Jeff Marks held the ball.

One out later, Kenny Copeland doubled to left to drive in Moore for a 5-2 lead--and send Morrow for cover. Geller relieved and escaped the jam.

Morrow allowed five runs on 11 hits over 7 1/3 innings, walked one and struck out two.

Albuquerque, which has won eight of the past 10 New Mexico state titles, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. After Morrow retired leadoff batter Pineda on one pitch, McMurray tripled down the line in right, and after a walk, scored on Collins’ ground out.

West blew a scoring opportunity in the second, when Lederman and Sheren reached base on infield errors. Sean Boldt struck out for the first out, and, after Valdez picked Sheren off first, Morrow struck out to end the inning.

West tied the score, 1-1, in the third, again courtesy of New Mexico errors. Paul Geller reached base on Moore’s fielding error and moved to second on West’s first hit, a Marks single to center.

With one out, Jason Cohen’s probable double-play grounder was thrown away by second baseman Pineda, allowing Geller to score.

In a game that ended at 1 a.m. Saturday morning, West improved to 3-0 in the double-elimination tournament by defeating host Union City, 6-2, behind right-hander Corey Bromberg.

Bromberg (8-1) was in control throughout, allowing seven hits, striking out three and walking two. Only one run was earned.

West scored a run in the first on three consecutive walks and a sacrifice fly by Kim. West again loaded the bases off Union City’s Bob Pailthorpe in the third.

With one out, Marine singled to left on an 0-2 pitch and moved to second when Union City third baseman Jeff Borges bobbled Cohen’s grounder in the hole. Kim worked out of an 0-2 hole and drew a walk to load the bases.

Lederman slammed Pailthorpe’s first pitch down the line in right field to drive in Marine and Cohen, giving West a 3-0 lead.

Marine, who was one for eight in the tournament entering the game, had three hits and added two RBIs.