SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Hoover Hits Six Homers for a Royal Crush

Outfielder Doug Jackson slammed a pair of home runs to highlight a 10-run fifth inning as Hoover High hammered Royal, 18-8, Friday in a first-round Southern Section Division I playoff game at Hoover.

David Brown, Jack Kocur and Joel Mellinger clubbed homers for Royal (15-10), but it wasn’t nearly enough to offset the six hit by Hoover. Nate Dishington, Ron Pirayoff, Amador Solis, Robert Ruiz and Jackson all went deep for Hoover (20-3).

Homers were flying out of the yard so often they almost ran out of balls.

“We took a dozen out there,” Hoover Coach Bob Cooper said. “We were down to the last ball at the end.”

Dishington, a senior catcher, almost hit for the cycle. He doubled twice, tripled and homered.

With Hoover holding a 7-5 lead, Jackson led off the fifth with a solo homer. He later added a grand slam in the inning as Hoover sent 14 batters to the plate.

Andrew Spencer and Solis each had three hits for Hoover, which will face Ocean View, a 4-1 winner over Peninsula, in the second round on Tuesday.

In other first-round Division I games:

Glendale 6, Millikan 2--Junior right-hander David Gantt scattered seven hits and Dave Sofro’s sacrifice fly drove in John Lister with the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Dynamiters upset the two-time defending 5-A Division (now Division I) champion Rams at Long Beach.

Gantt (9-3) struck out two, walked two and pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth by inducing an inning-ending double play.

Glendale (12-11), which tied for third in the Pacific League, scored three runs in the seventh against the Moore League champions when Lister and Juan Chavez delivered run-scoring singles and Millikan (19-7) forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk.

Lister and Brenden Barrett each had three hits and two runs for the Dynamiters, who had 11 hits.

Bell Gardens 1, Newbury Park 0--Right-hander Jorge Andrade allowed only a sixth-inning bunt single to beat the Panthers at Newbury Park.

Junior right-hander Keith Smith pitched a two-hitter and struck out four for Newbury Park (17-9). Bell Gardens’ football team also defeated Newbury Park in the first round last fall.

Bell Gardens (13-13-1), whose coach is Mike McCurdy, formerly of Westlake and Royal highs, will face top-seeded Crespi (25-2) in the second round. Crespi defeated Hawthorne, 7-2.

Trailing, 1-0, the Panthers threatened in the seventh when shortstop David Lamb walked to lead off the inning. Newbury Park Coach Gary Fabricius opted to forsake the sacrifice bunt with cleanup hitter Jeff Bennett at the plate. “I’ll probably get second-guessed for that one,” Fabricius said.

Bennett hit a one-hop bullet to third and Bell Gardens turned a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat.

Bell Gardens scored in the fourth. With one out, the bases loaded and the infield at double-play depth, a slow roller was hit to second. The flip to shortstop Lamb recorded a force out, but Lamb became tangled with the baserunner and couldn’t complete the throw to first. Instead, he wheeled and fired to third and caught the runner off the base for a rare 4-6-5 double play. By then the run had crossed the plate.

Smith (7-4) had Newbury Park’s only hit, a one-out drag bunt in the sixth.

Notre Dame 5, Arcadia 4--Francisco Dongo singled home Jabbar Craigwell with two out in the top of the 10th inning for the Knights (20-5) at Arcadia.

Craigwell, who homered earlier, singled to open the inning and advanced to second when the left fielder overran the ball. He was sacrificed to third by Allen Jerkins. One out later, Dongo singled him home.

Left-hander Chris Leveque (11-1) went the distance for Notre Dame. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits, struck out five and walked three.

Glen Carson had four hits for Notre Dame. Chris Garza and Dongo each added three.

DIVISION II

Hart 4, Hueneme 0--Senior right-hander Gary Stevenson pitched a no-hitter, the Indians’ first in three seasons, at Hart. Stevenson (9-3) struck out five and walked one. Hart (19-9) committed two errors behind Stevenson, but outfielder Alan Ray saved the no-hitter in the fourth with a running catch of a liner in the gap off the bat of Ricardo Garcia.

Mike Espy hit a three-run homer in the third and Casey Niccum doubled home a run.

Stevenson’s no-hitter was the first for Hart since Kevin Foderaro tossed one in 1990.

Lompoc 8, Canyon 2--The Braves (21-4) scored seven runs in the third inning on three hits and three walks and coasted over Canyon (10-15) at Lompoc.

Jason Jennings had two of Canyon’s five hits.

Valencia 13, Burroughs 10--The Indians squandered a 7-1 second-inning lead, fell behind, 13-7, then rallied for three runs in the seventh to make it close at Valencia High in Placentia.

Carl Castro had three hits, including two doubles, and three RBIs for Burroughs (13-13) and Troy Wilson added a three-run homer.

DIVISION III

Walnut 4, Palmdale 1--Steve Rain (10-1) tossed a three-hitter and struck out six to lead Walnut (18-6-1). Chris Paxton doubled and scored for Palmdale (18-7-1).

West Torrance 12, Quartz Hill 5--Leading, 2-0, the Rebels issued four walks and committed two critical errors as West scored nine runs in the third inning at Quartz Hill.

Brian Zemke hit two home runs and drove in three runs for Quartz Hill (14-9). Jeff Bowne also had two hits, and Will Wallace and Brian Willey each doubled.

DIVISION IV

Cathedral 11, Montclair Prep 9--The Mounties (20-5-2) walked eight, committed eight errors and allowed nine unearned runs in the upset at Montclair Prep.

Darrell Dent had three hits, three RBIs and scored three times. Bryan Stewart added three hits for the Mounties. Cathedral is 9-12.

Calabasas 8, Santa Maria St. Joseph 0--A two-hit performance by junior right-hander Josh Morton (8-3) led the Coyotes (15-5-1) at Calabasas. Morton, who also doubled and scored a run, recorded his sixth complete game, allowing two singles and striking out nine with one walk.

David Jacobs had a two-run double, Mark Warshaw had a two-run single and Billy Hoover added a two-run triple.

Santa Ynez 13, Moorpark 12--Richard Hernandez (seven) and Brian Garretson (six) combined for 13 walks as the Musketeers (14-9) fell in eight innings at Moorpark.

Brandon Garretson was three for four with two RBIs and three runs scored and Bill Finnerty was three for five with two RBIs to lead Moorpark.

DIVISION V

Desert 4, Village Christian 2--Village Christian was held to two hits and Desert took the lead for good with a three-run outburst in the fourth at Village Christian.

L.A. Baptist 4, Rio Hondo Prep 0--Junior right-hander Matt Hernandez fired a three-hitter and struck out 10 for L.A. Baptist (19-5).

Hernandez (10-0), who allowed only two balls out of the infield, also clubbed a two-run triple in the Knights’ four-run rally in the third inning.

Fillmore 5, Maranatha 4--Pinch-runner Phil Hurtado stole second, took third on a ground out and scored the winning run on a single by Isaac Jimenez in the seventh inning at Fillmore.

Jimenez had three hits and two RBIs and Phil Chessani added two hits for the Flashes (16-4).

Buckley 8, Orange Lutheran 6--The Griffins (15-8) scored four runs in the sixth inning to overcome a two-run deficit notch the upset at Orange Lutheran.

Taryll Jackson (7-3) allowed eight hits and struck out seven.