Danner fans 12 as. Pa loses, 2-0
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT — Hagen Danner pitched the biggest game of his Little League career before a large, passionate crowd rarely seen at youth baseball games.
The 12-year-old ace from Huntington Beach, Calif., came through with a performance Thursday night that would make even the most seasoned major league pitcher proud.
Danner struck out 12 and hit a home run, and California spoiled the Pennsylvania party at the Little League World Series with a 2-0 victory over the hometown heroes from Clinton County to advance to the U.S. final Saturday and a rematch against Billings, Mont.
Montana beat California 1-0 in seven innings Wednesday night. Pennsylvania was eliminated.
Danner was the biggest reason why with a stellar night on the mound being leaving in the sixth because of Little League’s pitch-count rules. The cool Danner got out of a fifth-inning jam with one out and a runner on third with a grounder and flyout.
“Somebody said to me before the game, `You know there is going to be a big crowd there,”‘ Danner said. “And I said, `What crowd?’ I was thinking there wasn’t going to crowd there, that there would be no noise. I heard the noise, but I wasn’t bothered by it.”
Either on the mound, or at the plate, where Danner homered to right-center in the third.
With the Lamade Stadium stands rocking, Pennsylvania later put the tying run at the plate with one out in the sixth after Alex Garbrick reached on an infield single.
But closer Braydon Salzman ended Clinton County’s run with a strikeout and a force play at second.
Japan moved on as well, to the international final Saturday against Mexico, with a 9-6 victory over Maracay, Venezuela.
Yoshiki Suzuki blasted two homers to lead the mashers from Hamamatsu City trying to defend the crown won by a squad from Tokyo last year.
The late game had all the intensity again of a major league playoff game, thanks in large part to the vocal backers of the Keystone Little League from Clinton County — just 30 miles from South Williamsport.
