Dana Hills Tops Laguna Hills, 7-4 : Dolphins Make Most of Hawks’ Early Generosity and Advance

Dana Hills High School took advantage of three errors, two hit batsmen, a wild pitch and a passed ball to score five runs in the first inning and defeat Laguna Hills, 7-4, Tuesday in the second round of the Southern Section’s 3-A division playoffs.

Host Dana Hills managed only five hits off losing pitcher Mike Smedes, but the Dolphins scored five unearned runs to snap Laguna Hills’ 14-game winning streak. Dana Hills (16-12) will meet Saddleback (21-6) in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Laguna Hills (17-9) went ahead quickly, 2-0, in the first inning on a two-run home run by Smedes. Smedes’ sixth homer cleared the 355-foot sign in center field, but the Dolphins took control in the bottom of the inning.

Dana Hills sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning and went ahead, 5-2, despite getting only two hits. Right fielder Jason Thompson, first baseman Rob Milo and shortstop Mike Helm all committed errors to help the Dana Hills’ rally.

Smedes (8-3) also hurt his cause in the first inning, hitting two batters, walking another and throwing a wild pitch. Smedes went on to strike out eight, but his homer was the Hawks’ only offense until winning pitcher Ryan Henderson tired in the seventh.

Henderson (2-4) scattered three hits and struck out five in his first outing in almost a month. All this from a guy who began the season as the Dolphins’ fourth starter.

The Dolphins supported Henderson with two double plays and a couple of nifty fielding plays by third baseman Chris Delfs. Still, there were some anxious moments for Bob Canary, Dana Hills coach, when Laguna Hills scored twice in the seventh and had the bases loaded with one out before relief pitcher Ricky Whipple recorded the final two outs.

“They don’t come easy,” Canary said. “Laguna Hills is a good team and showed a lot of heart coming back. Henderson’s record was deceiving. I don’t think his ERA is that high, and he’s thrown some good games.”

But Henderson’s last outing against Laguna Hills early in the season was a forgettable one. He allowed four runs in four innings and left trailing, 4-1. On Tuesday, he said he was anxious but wasn’t nervous when informed that he would be the starting pitcher.

“When we got the lead, I was confident,” Henderson said. “I started working the hitters and had good support behind me. That was one of my best games of the season.”

Jack Hodges, Laguna Hills coach, was well aware of Henderson’s talent. Henderson was a member of a team that Hodges took to Australia seven months ago on a good-will tour.

“He has a fine arm and is a real competitor,” Hodges said. “I knew he was going to be tougher today than the last time we faced him. I thought we played a little tentative in the first inning and it cost us.

“It’s unfortunate that so many good things have happened to us during the winning streak and then the season had to end like this.”

Lance Marks, an excellent hitting right fielder for Dana Hills, was the only real offensive threat for the Dolphins. The sophomore had singles to right, center and left fields, drove in a run and scored a run.