West Hills Sees Kolbe Can Wing It : Baseball: He shows he can lend an arm in playoffs during 5-3 victory over Central Valley.

West Hills Coach Denny Barrett could call his team’s 5-3 American Legion victory over Central Valley a success even before it was over.

Having clinched first place in the Western Division of District 20, West Hills approached Friday’s game at Cleveland High as Vince Kolbe’s audition to join the starting rotation for the playoffs, where pitching depth is tested by the possibility of playing five consecutive days.

When Kolbe, a right-hander, left the game after five innings with a 2-1 lead, he had a spot in the rotation.

Even though he gave up only one run and three hits, striking out one and walking three, he didn’t get a decision because Central Valley tied the game in the bottom of the sixth before West Hills took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the seventh.

Submarine pitcher Chris Gray (6-0) went the final two innings.

Kolbe’s addition to the rotation makes West Hills (18-2) look even stronger for the District 20 playoffs. The team trails only Northern Division champion Newhall (18-1) in the district.

“I think we are ready to go,” Barrett said. “We are 18-2 and we could easily be 20-0.”

Said Gray: “This is the first season that we’ve come in first and we’re all really pumped.”

Central Valley players were pumped at the start of the week in anticipation of the showdown with West Hills, which led Central Valley by 1 1/2 games on Monday. Problem was, there were two games before the West Hills showdown, and Central Valley (14-6) lost both, making Friday’s game all but meaningless.

Left-hander Josh Goldberg (4-4), who gave up the three runs in the seventh and took the loss, said Central Valley lost its focus.

“We were [looking ahead],” he said. “[West Hills] beat us before and they were talking some smack. We wanted to stick [it to them].”

Goldberg relieved Jared Mills, who gave up one earned run and struck out six in six innings. Goldberg dug himself a hole in the seventh by walking three hitters, including two of the first three.

Kevin Lohman’s single drove in the go-ahead run and West Hills added two more on a bases-loaded walk to Gabe Crecion and Brandon Gray’s pinch-hit single.

Central Valley rallied in the bottom of the seventh. With two out and two on, Adrien Torres doubled in a run, but Junior Brignac was thrown out at the plate.