Connie Mack baseball: Hoots Crush El Dorado Hills in State Tournament

Danville Hoots 11, El Dorado Hills Vipers 2

The Star: Spenser Linney retired the final 16 batters he faced and finished with a two-hitter while helping the Hoots to the winners' bracket championship of the Connie Mack Northern California playoffs.

The Turning Point: Chris Keck's RBI single in the second inning to score Amador Valley High teammate Brian Hamm gave the Hoots a 3-2 lead.

The Quote: "We made the (Connie Mack) World Series last year, but this is a different group," Danville manager Don Johns said. "So far, I like the way we are playing."

What's next? Danville will play West Lane Friday at 4 p.m. at Chabot College in Hayward.

Bottom Line: The Hoots, made up of players from several cities in the East Bay, played a brutally challenging schedule with varying degrees of success to get to this point. If they play the way they did Thursday from here on out, a return trip to the Connie Mack World Series is a realistic goal.

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If the Danville Hoots want to make a return to the Connie Mack World Series this Summer, Thursday's 11-2 win against El Dorado Hills might be the blueprint to get them there.

Starting pitcher Spenser Linney (Head Royce) threw six inning of two-hit ball, retiring the final 16 batters he faced and every player in the Danville lineup hit safely as the Hoots advanced to Friday's winners' bracket championship against West Lane.

"Linney threw the ball really well and we did a good job playing small ball," manager Don Johns said. "We're old school because I'm old. Bunting is not a lost art on the Hoots."

Danville set the tone early when Amador Valley's Brian Hamm drew a  leadoff to start the game against future Oregon State pitcher Dan Child and was bunted to second by Foothill's David Camarena. East Bay Athletic League MVP Chris Keck of Amador doubled to score Hamm and later scored on a bases-loaded walk.

El Dorado Hills got two back in the bottom half of the inning, but once Linney settled down it was over.

"It's about adjusting to different teams," Linney said. "It's really a grind."

Linney struck out 11 through six innings before the game was shortened due to Danville having more than an eight-run lead after five innings.

Keck gave the Hoots the lead for good in the second with a single to score Hamm, who singled. San Ramon Valley's Scott Quinlan's massive double to center plated Keck, but Danville wasn't done.

The Hoots scored in every inning, including three in the third, which was jump-started when Corbin Chase (Campolindo) was hit to start the inning.

Chase finished 2 for 2 and reached base in all four of his plate appearances. 

Danville opened up the State Tournament with a 7-3 win against Union City and is two wins away from a berth in the West Regional Tournament in Seattle, which begins on July 28.

"Winning the first game (against Union City) was the biggest hurdle," Chase said. "We've been up and down the whole season, but then to come back and beat a good EDH team is a good sign."

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Hoots 11, El Dorado Hills 2

Hoots 223 112 — 11 13 0
EDH 200 000 — 2 2 1

Danville (ab-r-h) — Hamm 3-3-2, Camarena 3-0-1, Keck 3-2-2, Quinlan 5-1-2, Moen 3-0-1, Chase 2-2-2, Lipson 2-1-1, Kathan 4-1-1, Moore 2-1-1. 

Pitching

Danville: Linney 6 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 11 K.

Hitting
2B — Keck, Quinlan.

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Danville Hoots roster

name, position, high school

Robert Anderson, P, Deerfield

David Camarena, INF, Foothill

Corbin Chase, OF, Campolindo

Cam Cox, INF, San Ramon Valley

Andy Eslick, P, Amador Valley

Josh Egan, C, Castro Valley

Brian Hamm, INF, Amador Valley

Raul Jacobson, P, Miramonte

Eric Jaffe, P/INF., Bishop O'Dowd

David Johnson, INF, Amador Valley

Michael Kathan, INF, Campolindo

Chris Keck, INF, Amador Valley

Craig Lanza, P/OF, Monte Vista

Tino Lipson, INF, El Cerrito

Spenser Linney, P, Head Royce

Caleb Lusty, P/OF, Antioch

Scott Mitchell, C/OF, Dublin

Garrett Moore, OF, Foothill

Seven Moen, C, California

Nick Piscotty, P/INF, Amador Valley

Tommy Pluschkell, INF, Amador Valley

Scott Quinlan, OF, San Ramon Valley

Kyle Slinger, P, San Ramon Valley

Michael Theofanopolous, P, Foothill