The 2017 Connie Mack World Series came to an end on Sunday afternoon, with the Midland Redskins defeating the Danville Hoots for the tournament championship. The Hoots, comprised almost solely of players from high schools within the North Coast Section, finished second in the nationally prestigious tournament.
Sunday’s game against Midland completed an 11-day stretch for the visitors from Northern California, one that nearly ended with a national title. After advancing out of pool play, Danville blasted its way past D-Bat Elite, the East Cobb Yankees, and the Florida Legends to become one of just two unbeaten teams in the tournament, headed into a showdown with the Redskins.
In the first game against the Redskins, recent De La Salle graduate Mason Legate turned in a strong performance on the mound, but Midland eked out a 3-2 win after a pair of errors by the Hoots in the bottom of the fourth erased a 2-1 advantage. Danville had a fantastic opportunity in the top of the seventh, when Notre Dame bound Ryan Cole walked and Portland bound Khalid Johnson singled to put the two De La Salle graduates on the corners, but the Midland pitcher induced a ground ball to third, ending the game.
The first loss to Midland left the Hoots in a position where they had to win two straight on the final day, but the Redskins erased all doubt with an 11-0 victory to secure the title. Despite the loss on the final day, the memories gained for the Northern California team were nothing but positive.
“It was such a great experience to play with all of the guys I grew up playing with one more time, and it was helpful to face the talent that we did, to prepare us for the next level,” Cole said. “The Connie Mack World Series has some of the best talent in the nation.”
Prior to facing Midland, the Hoots had been virtually unstoppable at the plate. A six-run fifth inning led to a 10-5 win over the Legends in the third round of play, with RBI singles from San Ramon Valley grad Brett Tressen, De La Salle grad Gabe Giosso, and De La Salle grad Nick Santiago highlighting the big inning. Granada grad Tyler Stultz struck out five in the win on the mound.
Two days earlier, an eight-run fifth inning propelled Danville to a 15-2 win over East Cobb, the lone team to have beaten the Hoots during pool play. Amador Valley grad Jared Wilson got things going with a single to lead off the inning, and things snowballed from there.
A two-run double from Utah bound Zach Patterson highlighted the inning, while Cole had a run-scoring single, and Wilson and Dougherty Valley incoming senior Matt Jew each walked in runs. Santiago had three hits and scored four times in the win, while Granada grad Patterson had three RBI. Amador Valley incoming senior Mitch Benson scattered four hits for the win on the mound.
The first game of bracket play, a 9-1 win over D-Bat Elite, featured a great performance on the mound from Northgate grad Nick Krauth, who struck out seven in the win. Meanwhile, Santiago, Wilson, Jew, and De La Salle’s Luke O’Brien each had two hits at the plate.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Wilson said. “The people of Farmington (New Mexico) treated us like celebrities, with over 4,000 fans in the stadium every night. They want the players to feel like major leaguers. The host families were also so amazing. It was just so much fun.”
The team arrived on a Thursday, and the first Friday featured a parade through downtown Farmington, which has hosted the World Series since 1965. The week also featured a home run derby.
